Dead Ringer
by Fenrir II
Summary: Alternate Time Line : Starting about 2 years after PTM. Knight Kenobi caught up in the repercussions of saving his Master on Naboo, is moving toward an uncertain future. As Jinn struggles to train Anakin, a twisted destiny looms on the horizon.
1. One :: Forgotten

**Summary::** AU-About 2 years after PTM. Obi-wan is having to deal without his Master, who is still alive, and training Anakin. 

**Disclaimer::** I don't own StarWars, I'm not getting money off of this. 

**Special Thanks to::** red_rose_knight, and CYNICAL21 for writing such great fan fics! You guys allowed me to get my mind into gear about writing. Hopefully this will be somewhat of good quality. 

" text " = normal/verbal talking   
italics = flashbacks   
'text' = talking through a bond/force communication. 

**Terms:: **(perhaps unknown vocab.)   
_saxe blue:: _greyish-blue 

_____________________________________________________________   
**Dead Ringer******

_"Then with the eyes shut_   
_looking thought the rust and rot_   
_And dust, a spot of light floods the floor_   
_And pours over the rusted world of pretend_   
_The eyes ease open and its dark again_   
_In the memory you'll find me_   
_Eyes burning up_   
_The darkness holding me tightly_   
_Until the sun rises up" - Forgotten, Linkin Park___

Chapter One :: Forgotten

_Obi-wan's eyes grew huge as he watched the last of his score drop below his usually high standing rank. His lips pressed together in a tight line, his knuckles gripping the sides of the Machine were white from the death like vice. Slowly that saxe blue gaze that Obi-wan was famous for drifted to meet the sky blue eyes of his Master.___

_Qui-gon hadn't realized just how focused his padawan had been on playing the arcade game, nor had he realized what was in store next._   
_ "I'M NOT SPEAKING TO YOU!" He cried out to his shocked Master, while the rest of Obi-wans friends finally busted out in laughter. Qui-gon was about to raise his voice to the youth for the outburst, but caught the all too humorous look in his padawan's eyes._   
_" If I could only be so lucky....Well if your not going to speak to me...then it's going to make our assignment much more difficult I'm afraid." His Master mused, jesting with his padawan much to everyone's delight._   
_"There's no such thing as luck, Master."_   
_"Your talking to me." Qui-gon threw in right after his padawan spoke._   
_"No I'm not...I'm speaking to the Force" Obi-wan raises his arms, gesturing to some unseen person,. "see talking to the force, I am talking to the Force. And the Force is telling me that My Master and I have a mission....." Obi-wan's voice had become of a somewhat comical tone, causing his friends to convulse into more fits of laughter. A smile broke on Qui-gons face, before grabbing a hold of the padawan braid and giving it a swift tug._   
_"So tell you friends goodbye and return to the Temple. We've got a meeting with the Council." He let go and started to retreat, but he was still able to hear Obi-wan._   
_"And the Force is telling me, that I must go...and go I must back to the Temple, and seek divine guidance from the all knowing Council. I might add that the Force sounds amazing like my Master!" Obi-wan gave a grand bow to his friends, who all clapped during his departure. The young man quickly caught up with his Master, walking slightly behind._   
_"Care to clue me in on where we might be going.?"_   
_"I thought you weren't talking to me?" Qui-gon quirked one of his thick eyebrows._   
_"I'm...not." Obi-wan formed the words slowly. "Okay, okay you got me." He raised his hands into the air to show that he had given up._   
_"We will be heading to Naboo."_

Obi-wan's breath was soft, slow, so hushed and almost non existent as he laid in the tiny room of his cell. Turned on his left side, half way curled, met with half way stretched out on a cot mattress, so carelessly discarded in the corner. His head laid on a pillow that had seen better days, his lightsaber tucked so nicely beneath it. The cold hard corners, pressing through the ragged pillow, ever reminding of it's presents. Though he seemed in sleep, his eyes remained open, fixated on the wall, no more then a foot from his face. The train, he figured, had traveled by twice tonight, and was now working on it's third pass. The low roar of it's engine, the soft rumbling of the tracks, meeting the steel wheels, rocking the earth below it humbly. The whistling of the horn, howls of it's warning, nearly 15 miles away, but it's song carried on the silent night, with swift wings, and bleeding ears. 

Slowly he started to get up, his muscles stiff from being unused for such a long time. The small amount of light that had managed to get through the hatch window was enough to clearly highlight the dull outlines of the four walls. His fingers wrapped around the cold metal of his lightsaber, carefully pulling it from it's hiding place. Luckily the guards had not put a collar on him, and were also easily swayed into missing his lightsaber during their search. Giving a quick tug on his tunic, he got to his feet, stretching out the kinks in his muscles. He had been in there for almost a week, awaiting for the time that the Minister Ferrero would be brought to the same fortress. He had prepped for this during that time, knowing it would be easier to just escape, then to break in, and then break back out. Allowing himself to be caught 5 days earlier had only raised the moral of group, into thinking that things would be clear, thus making them relax if not more, then just a little. 

Once to the door, using the Force he quickly unlocked the hatch from the outside. He had thought about slamming his 'saber through the door, and melting it, however it would take more time then was needed, as well as possible alert the fortress of such an escape. As much as he would like to get the place in an uproar, time, and stealth was what he needed. The train would return in not less then 30 minutes, and when it did, the Minister and himself would be on board. The hatch slid open, and through the Force felt no one out in the passage. Knowing exactly when the guards would come by again, he rushed down the end of the hallway, lacing his way between the rotation of the patrols. Without missing a beat he thumbed a small device on the inside of his sleeve. A massive explosion shook the building violently, as all type of alarms went off. 

Confusion was ringing through the Force, and the Young Jedi Knight leapt around the corner, his lightsaber ignited, he rushed forward destroying two droids that had been guarding the door. Again bypassing the locks, the door swooshed open. 

"Come with me. We have little time Minister." Obi-wan extended a roughly calloused hand to the man in the cell.   
"Thank the Gods!" came a plea from the cell, as an elderly man raced forward.   
"I need you to do exactly what I say, when I say it."   
The man merely nodded, as he was pulled out of the cell by the Knight. The two made their way through the twisting hallways, Obi-wan deflecting blaster shots when the time called for it. Within moments they had breached the outside wall, and were darting through the brushes. The thick underbrush slowed their otherwise hasty escape, and hasty it had been. They had barely stopped running the entire time, and the Jedi Knight was sure that he was going to have to slow down for the Minister to keep up, but in fact it WAS the Minister who was slowing down to allow Obi-wan to catch up. Surely by the time they had gotten to the hidden speeder, that the elderly man would show some sign of tiring, but he looked far from it. 

"We're not out of the woods yet, Minister." He lightly stated as the speeders engine roared to life. In the distance was a warm glow of the fire, raging through the fortress. Small explosions followed, but nothing quite as huge as the first. They started out in the speeder, as the Jedi opened all his senses for this night time joy ride, without headlights, there was only the light of the moon to guide them through the now thinning, but dense forest.   
"What's the plan?" A shaky voice spoke up looking behind them for any sign of followers.   
"We're going to catch the next train, back to were I landed the shuttle. Is anyone following?" He asked, knowing all too well that no one was, or had been detected by him yet.   
"I don't see anyone yet." The Minister turned back to face the front, quickly studying the Jedi's face before diverting his eyes. Obi-wan had had his hood on most of the time, but once in the speeder it was blown back by the rushing wind. Thick short hair was flattened down with sweat, small bristles of a beard were starting to grow from the finely carved jaw line, and chin. The moonlight caught the stunning outline of his profile, carefully playing of the edge of the finer points of the grimy, and battered face.   
"What might your name be?"   
"Knight Kenobi"   
"Ah, Now I know I am in good hands with a Naboo Hero here."   
Obi-wan bit back the bitter laughter that started to rise up. He had always gotten the same comment almost everywhere he went. Perhaps not in the same statement, but always directed as that. He managed to keep his emotionless mask set square on his face, relaxing only a little when they made it out of the woods, and into the vast plains. 

Little was spoken the rest of the ride to the train tracks. But once there, they could hear the whistle of a nearing train rumbling toward them. After a quick explanation, Minister Ferrero hopped on board the back of the moving train, while Obi-wan quickly jammed the acceleration of the speeder, allowing it to speed off into the night driverless. With a quick burst of speed, Obi-wan was able to make it to the back of the train, pulling himself on board.   
"How long till we get to your shuttle?"   
"Not long."   
"Why didn't we just take the speeder all the way to the shuttle?"   
"The speeder was barrowed. That is probably why no one followed us, they are probably tracking it down as we speak." His words were calm in answering the question   
"Where are we to go after that?"   
"We will be met by officials upon arriving back at Coruscant, that is where we will part ways. I must return to the Temple as soon as you are safe."   
The conversation grew silent again, much to the young Knights joy. There was something about Minister Ferrero that reminded him of his Master. A frown carefully laid upon his lips. Ex-Master was more like it, he thought. Ever since Qui-gon took Anakin as his Padawan, Obi-wan was left on the door step. True he was old enough to be a Knight when his Master had cast him aside, but is was as if, all his years as Qui-gon's padawan had never happened. All the memories before the Battle of Naboo had started to fade, slowly slipping through his fingers. They were happy memories, weren't they? He just couldn't remember anymore. It didn't matter anyway. All those things were in the past, perhaps they were meant to be forgotten. 

The young Knight slowly adjusted his cloak, shifting the weight evenly over his shoulders, when he felt the cold steel of metal on the back of his neck. Every hair bristled on him as he could tell it was not a blaster barrel, but a slug thrower that was kissing the back of his neck.   
"I'm sorry to have to do this to you lad, but it's better this way." The voice belonged to no other but Minister Ferrero. Without a second thought, he squeezed the trigger, just as Obi-wan jerked hard to lower left, throwing himself to the wall for safety. His mind wasn't on the ripped flesh of the side of his neck. The bullet had scrapped the right side of his neck, leaving a good half inch gash flooding with blood. Obi-wan slowly turned to look at the Minister with shocked eyes. Before he could react another bullet shattered the joint in his shoulder. Obi-wan reeled back, nearly dropping his Lightsaber. He wasn't sure if he should fight back, something was clearly not right, more then just the Minister shooting him. Once more Obi-wan searched the elderly man's face, and in the small hint of light that was available, he could see an unfathomable homicidal smile plastered on the Minister's face.   
"I don't know what's going on here, but I'm taking you back with me, even if I have to drag you." His voice was so calm despite the shock that was twisting his heart. He hadn't felt any danger when he was with the Minister, nor had the Minister been blocking him. But now, who ever was standing before him looked like the Minister, talked like the Minister, but didn't feel like the Minister. The area around him felt cold, almost as if the air froze upon getting near the man. Obi-wan took a step back, his lightsaber still not ignited.   
"Over my dead body." 

What happened next was far from what the Jedi had expected. He had the warning, and was prepared to defend himself this time, but the warning wasn't for him. The barrel suddenly was pointing at the Minister's head, and with a soft crackle, he pulled the trigger. 

If his mouth would of been open like he had though it had been, it would of been filled with the brain matter of the now nearly headless Minister. He stood there, not moving for several moment, his mind trying to process exactly what just happened. Slowly he scooped up the rapidly cooling body of the Minister, and leapt from the moving train. He pushed the pain to the back of his mind as he held the dead weight under his arm with the shattered shoulder joint. Landing was almost graceful, but under the pull of the body, he was nearly tipped over. As gravity had ruled it, the body was pulled out of his hold from the impact, landing on the ground with a sickening thud. The Knight cringed slightly, then carefully picking up the Minister again, he tucked him back under the wounded arm, then stuffed his hand into his leather belt. His injured arm was going numb, and would barely work on his commands. 

After reaching his shuttle he quickly palmed open the door, happy to be getting off planet. Almost as if right on cue, his numb hand slipped from the clasp of his belt, allowing the dead Minister to once again fall with a thud on the steel floor. Obi-wan allowed himself to smile, despite all the control he use to. He knew it was wrong but he just couldn't help to comment. Not as if there was anyone around.   
"Looks like it IS over your dead body, Minister Ferrero." There was a youthful humor to his voice, but no laughter ensued afterward. Making his way to the cockpit, he slapped open the hatch and with a quick scan over the instruments he took control and lifted off. He found it strange that other then the Ministers sudden change of heart, he had no encounters. Certainly he would have some sort of resistance trying to leave the planet, yet there wasn't a ship in sight. As the planet grew smaller in the rear viewer, something seemed to put him on edge. He calmed his anxiety, trying not to center himself on them. The Knight leaned back in the seat, allowing himself to go into a light Healing trace on the way back home. Again he allowed himself to smile. The Officials, as well as the Council would not be pleased with the news, and the report he would have to type would give him more then enough time to rest easy, back at the Temple. 

His smile suddenly slid from his face, replacing it with a frown. The Temple. Hopefully Qui-gon and Anakin would be on a mission, as so not to bump into them. He could just stay in his apartment until his next mission came about, but he certainly didn't want to have to run into them. Perhaps Bant would be nice enough to bring food to him while he held himself captive in his own apartment. Again the smile replayed on his lips. Things were certainly looking better, better then they had in the last 2 and half years. If it wasn't for his friends, he probably wouldn't be looking forward to returning the Temple. They had made it home again for him, made him feel wanted, and if only for a moment, made him forget about the gapping hole in his heart.   


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**ahaha Hiya guys. I know I should probably be working on my other fan fic, but I just couldn't help but post this one. I need reviews, and it will be based on those reviews if I keep going with this Fic. -AngelAssassin**   
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Two :: Outside Tomorrow

**Summary::** AU-About 2 years after PTM. Obi-wan is having to deal without his Master, who is still alive, and training Anakin. 

**Disclaimer::** I don't own StarWars, I'm not getting money off of this. 

**Special Thanks to::** red_rose_knight, and CYNICAL21 for writing such great fan fics! You guys allowed me to get my mind into gear about writing. Hopefully this will be somewhat of good quality. 

" text " = normal/verbal talking   
italics = flashbacks   
'text' = talking through a bond/force communication. 

**Notes:: ** Just like to thank everyone that reviewed. I'm having a lot of fun writing this one. Plot is coming, just not this chapter. ^_^ 

_____________________________________________________________   
**Dead Ringer******

_"Don't you know_   
_I can't tell you how to make it go_   
_No matter what I do, how hard I try_   
_I can't seem to convince myself why_   
_I'm stuck on the outside" - By Myself, Linkin Park___

Chapter Two :: Outside Tomorrow

Obi-wan looked at the fleeing healer with a small amount of distaste in his eyes. The Healer that was treating him had asked him what the sticky pieces of goop had been, and when Obi-wan clearly and calmly stated that it was the remaining pieces of Minister Ferrero's brain, the young Healer though he was surely joking. But soon, upon closer inspection he was not joking. She had beat a hasty retreat to a 'fresher, hand cuffed over her mouth. 

"Bravo!! I don't think she will be eating for awhile." Bant's voice came from the doorway as she clapped her hands together in a joyous fashion. 

"Get in here and shut the door." Obi-wan snapped, wanting only to leave the Healers Ward as quickly as possible. 

"Okay, Okay, you don't have to be so upset." She stepped into the room, closing the hatch behind her. Obi-wan slowly shrugged his tunic off his right shoulder. 

"You should really be spending a few hours in the tank." She grabbed a few patches of bacta, as well as bandages then moved toward him. 

"Just patch it up Bant...." 

Bant's complaints were silent, as she did just that and *patched* him up. 

"Obi, these are slug holes. I didn't know anyone still carried slug throwers!" Carefully she wrapped the bandages around the bacta patches, happy that at least Obi-wan came to get help by himself. 

"Neither did I." he snorted loudly, diverting his eyes from her working image in the mirror. 

"The Council wants to see you ASAP, but I would suggest cleaning up before presenting yourself." She took as step back, almost as if she was admiring her handy work of interlacing bandages. 

"Finished?" there was a hint of humor in his alluring voice. 

"All done, you big baby. But I want YOU to take it easy. That shoulder of yours really needs a lot of TLC." She poked him in the chest, purposely not allowing her eyes to follow a scar that was peeking out from the tunic. He simply nodded, easing his tunic back over his shoulder, and readjusting his belt. 

The trip back to his apartment was quite entertaining, if you would want to use such a word to describe the eyes of passing Jedi that gawked and stared as Obi-wan trudged by. He knew he was quite the sight from Hell, but he didn't care. Blood was clearly painted on his robes and tunic. Cakes of blood, sweat, as well as other things masked his normally flawless face. Swelling was noticeable just above his left eye, and dark bruises littered his complexion. He wanted nothing more then to shower and remove the grim that had grown almost like a second skin. 

By the time he had gotten to the hall where his apartment was located, his pace had turned into little more then a shuffled crawl. He didn't notice how people cleared a path for him, nor did he notice a Master and Padawan team that watched him under a crucial gaze. 

Qui-gon had barely recognized Obi-wan's face behind the plaster of matter. 

Barely recognized that figure under the tattered and ripped blood soaked robes. Shoulders that were normally carried back and proud were slumped forward, and head bowed forward with the tilt of his back, eyes carefully following the tile on the floor. 

The Knights reaction as a friend had approached from behind and patted his injured shoulder, did not go unnoticed. The slumped shoulders suddenly drew back and straighten as the Knight took a deep breath, biting back the fire blazing in his shoulder, with a friendly smile. 

A short conversation suddenly came into play as the two friends shuffled along the short distance to the hatch of Obi-wan's apartment. Obi-wan had nodded quite a bit, listening intently to what his friend had to say. The two exchanged friendly bows and the other Knight went about his way. Obi-wan's eyes followed him down the hall, until he found an all too familiar gaze looking back. 

Something changed so quickly in that short time when their eyes had met. The Master could see thoughts moving like the days clouds, but he could feel emotions rising like a thunderstorm through a small crack of Obi-wan's shielding. His eyes, those hardened eyes of Obi-wan's peered back, but for a brief moment, those unmeaning eyes tittered with hopeful dreams of tomorrows long since past, but that stayed no more then a whisper in a storm. Both eyes remained locked in a silent stare that neither would yield from. 

"Master?" 

No reply. 

"Master?!" This time Anakin spoke louder, giving a quick tug on Qui-gon's sleeve. The master tore his gaze away from the mirroring pools of the sea blue to look down at his padawan learner. 

"Master, are you alright?" The boy tilted his head to the side. 

"Yes." The Master turned his gaze expecting to see Obi-wan still standing there looking back at him, but was only met by a sliver of a robe as the hatch to the apartment slid shut. Again the revered Master looked down to Anakin, allowing himself to smile lightly. 

"Let's go." He placed a firm hand on the boy's shoulder and lead him away.   
  


Obi-wan stopped just behind the door. His tired body started to tremble and shake uncontrollably. After a few deep breaths, the shaking slowly stopped. A small chirp flooded the room, as a green light started to flash. With his attention back to him, Obi-wan rushed forward activating the Comm Unit. 

"Knight Kenobi" He stood and awaited as the screen slowly fizzled into shape. Bright green eyes were opened wide, and a near shriek came from the other end of the unit. 

"By the Force Obi! I though you might be a monster! You look like hell my friend." Golden blond tendrils filed down to a smooth forehead. 

"Nice to see you too Navari." A smile cracked the filthy make up upon his face. Navari Zhu was a friend he had known since his padawan days. He was a Mind Healer, but despite that fact, he acted more like Obi-wan's older brother. 

"I just wanted to see if you still wanted to meet me for 'saber practice. I heard you ran into a few problems." He worded his statement carefully, hoping that Obi-wan would offer more about his ordeal without being asked directly. 

"Nothing terribly bad. I don't know how long the Council meeting will take, but might be a little late but I'll be there." 

"I'll see you then! Zhu out." 

The comm unit went silent, as the screen shut off again, mirroring the silent apartment. The light was still flashing from messages that had been recorded during his absents. He turned from the unit, reminding himself to listen to them when he got back. 

His apartment was small, the common room and bed room were located in the same room, the refresher was small but still had enough space to move around comfortably. Pieces of a lightsaber littered the top of his small desk, as well as a datapad, and reading light. A window over looked a small part of Coruscant. After finding clean clothes, Obi-wan retreated into the 'fresher for a well needed hot shower. 

************************************************* 

Silently he stood before the Jedi Council, awaiting for the feed back from his verbal report. It hadn't been a very long dialog, but Council members kept interrupting him, asking questions about things they didn't understand. Like why Obi-wan would allow himself to be captured, but most of all the question of why did Minister Ferrero fire upon the Knight, and why did he take his own life. Obi-wan was asked to repeat that event several times, addressing everything that he saw, felt and heard, during that time. Each time it was like reliving the betrayal of the Minister. 

Mace Windu was about to question the Knight once again, when Yoda thudded his glimmer stick hard on the tile floor.   
"Mediate on this, you will. Written report, I expect within the week." The green troll was dismissing Obi-wan informally. Waves of exhaustion had been sweeping over the Knight, threatening his tired mind to forget minor details. Obi-wan bowed deeply and exited the Council Chamber. 

'Saber practice wasn't exactly high up on his to do list, but he had promised Navari that he would be there, no matter how late it was, he wouldn't break his word. He quickly found a lift, taking it down to the correct floor, and rushed to the appointed sparing room. 

Navari Zhu was sitting on one of the benches of the empty room, his eyes shut as his back was leaned against the wall. The Force clearly told Obi-wan that his friend was not sleeping.   
"I'm sorry for my tardiness." Obi-wan stopped, giving Zhu a deep bow.   
Emerald green eyes slowly opened, allowing the light to dance within the deepest parts of his eyes. A half cocked smile slipped on Zhu's thin lips. 

"Don't worry about it. I got a nice practice in with Master Lithar, but I'm extremely hungry. What do you say to a late dinner in the Mess Hall?" He stretched his long legs out, before standing up, nearly a foot taller then Obi-wan. The thought of food made Obi-wan's stomach roar to life, much to the dislike of the stoic Knight. He tired to think of the last time he had a real meal, since when we was held captive, the only thing he was fed was water and a piece of molding bread. 

"Sound appealing" He tried to cover up his grumbling stomach with the youthful mastery of his accent. 

"Come. You can tell me ALL about your Mission" A taunting and sarcastic tone flooded every bit of the 34 year olds voice. 

"I'd rather not. I've already made one person lose their lunch, lets not go for a record." 

____________________________________________________________________ 

**Well, THAT didn't go to bad. Hope you guys are enjoying it so far. -AngelAssassin** 


	3. Three :: The Perfect Doll

**Summary::** AU-About 2 years after PTM. Obi-wan is having to deal without his Master, who is still alive, and training Anakin. 

**Disclaimer::** I don't own StarWars, I'm not getting money off of this. 

**Special Thanks to::** red_rose_knight, and CYNICAL21 for writing such great fan fics! You guys allowed me to get my mind into gear about writing. Hopefully this will be somewhat of good quality. 

" text " = normal/verbal talking   
italics = flashbacks   
'text' = talking through a bond/force communication.   
*text* = emphasized words 

**Notes:: ** The next update won't be until Monday or Tuesday. But it should be a much longer post then all the rest. Thanks for the reviews 

_____________________________________________________________   
**Dead Ringer**

_"There are times when I'm just a shell_   
_When I do not feel anything for anyone_   
_All I feel is hollow and bruised_   
_Used up and misused_   
_Forced to be someone I don't want to be" - Darkest Days, Stabbing Westward_

Chapter Three :: The Perfect Doll

_A soft beep of machines lightly sung in the busy but silent lab. People dressed in long white coats rushed quietly back and forth between control units. In the middle of the lab a tank filled with a clear liquid flowed around a form. Wires ran from the top of the tank were attached to silver markings upon pale skin.___

_"Blood pressure 60." a female voice broke the silence___

_"...62. 70...72." it updated the status.___

_"Normal. Pulse Rate?" Came another voice___

_"Pulse 70." the same female voice reported.___

_"Report!" A new voice snapped, the tone dripping with malice, and anger.___

_The woman's voice hitched in her throat for a moment, turning around to greet a robed figure._   
_"Nothing out of the ordinary. Blood pressure and pulse rate are both normal. No problems in vision or hearing, reflexes are well above normal and the midi-chlorian count is rounding off." She responded and fell into step by the hunched over figure.___

_"Excellent."___

_"You know...it still doesn't seem real to me. It's as if...." the scientist stopped to readjust a piece of hair that had fallen out of place. Her eyes grazed over the perfect form inside the tank. Strands of pure white hair gently pulsated from the liquid around it. The skin was light tone, thick red and silver lines were carefully placed on certain area's of the body. A small silver triangle was pointed down right beneath the right eye, while a red design frozen in a dance upon the middle of the forehead. Numbers and letters were present just below or above each line and shape.___

_"......As if it was a beautiful doll."_

********************************************** 

"Forgive Me Lord Xie!" A youthful officer was knocked the ground whimpering and pleading for having made a mistake. 

"If anything amounted to the price of Life, then the balance would be paid in full by Death.. Don't you think so to?" The alluring mastery of Xie's voice, youthful and low. 

He turned toward the cowering man, waves of white hair filed down, brushing lightly on the star kissed skin, his lips brushed with a light paint of rose. 

"No, my lord. I mean, yes. No...Please give me another chance!!" the voice begged, as he moved to his knees, humbling himself before everyone. 

Silence ensued afterward, as the man dared not to move, for his very life hung on his actions and words. 

"Very well." Xie turned and started to walk away, each step graceful and delicate. 

"Thank you my Lord!! I shall not fail you." Slowly the young officer brought himself to his feet, allowing a sigh to escape his lips. Carefully he tugged and smoothed out his uniform, and pulled at his collar. 

Without warning his mouth gaped open and a hand clutched his chest near his heart. Horrified eyes drilled their gaze into the back of the Young Lord who was now looking over his shoulder slightly. 

"I changed my mind..." Was all that was whispered, turned and kept going. 

The horrified gaze glazed over then the man fell into a lifeless lump on the floor. Where it stayed until it was dragged away by guards. 

Dark eyes peered out from under a heavy black hood from the command room. He had seen all that had gone on between Xie and the Officer. The frown that was permanently etched on his wrinkled face managed a brief smile at the white haired youth, fully decked out in beautiful white robes that fully compliment the dark red curls of the design tattooed on the forehead. 

He was the perfect doll, the perfect warrior, the perfect apprentice. 

Doll. 

The word echoed with in the warped mind of the Dark Lord. Xie-kuh was human. Genetically, it was completely human, although artificial to be sure. A human made by humans, developed within a computer controlled amniotic tank. Untouched by nature from start to finish. A *life* conceived by genetic manipulation, born from a synthetic womb. 

Footsteps slowly approached Darth Sidious, stopping just behind him. 

There was silence for as long as the Dark Master had waited. 

"What news do you have for me?" It was the same snappish tone, laced with acid and venom. 

"The late commander, had reported that the Jedi Knight escaped back to Coruscant with the Minister's body.." 

Sidious turned around sharply, the weight of his robes eager to follow his movements. His anger flared, but was soon doused by the sight of his faithful follower kneeling before him. The body was only a shell, an empty vessel, with neither joy nor anguish. 

Programmed to do as it was told. 

It. 

Xie was made genderless, either man nor woman, and could not reproduce. Without knowing that fact, Xie looked like any other human male, but it did not lust, nor allow pride to over come his reasoning. 

There was nothing it loved or hated. 

Xie-kuh carried death in his hands and deal with it as if with a boring toy. 

It knew no fear, knew nothing of right or wrong. But oh, how Xie was able to ignite fear within others. With a simple look from those perfect inhuman eyes he commanded the lives of others. 

Sidious reached down to push strands of the rouge snow hair back away from the youth's forehead, allowing him to gaze on those beautiful yet deadly eyes. 

Eyes of a midnight blue, with gold tincture thrown careless like stars in the night, were fixated upon the floor, humbly never raising them to meet the gaze of his Master. 

He took a breath, the air filling his nostrils, and silently exhaling through a crack in his mouth. 

"Perhaps we can use this to our advantage. What was the name of the Jedi on that mission?" 

"Knight Kenobi." the answer came without a hint of hindrance. 

A smile started to carve the finely aged face. It started as a soft chuckle, then slowly morphed into a laughter, and it's final form a psychotic crackle. 

"Yes this will work well to our advantage. Call together the Coruscant Officials. I think it is time to reveal the reasons behind Minister Ferrero's untimely death." 

____________________________________________________________________ 

**I've got a headache...must rest and restore my brain cells.... -AngelAssassin** 


	4. Four :: The Pain of Memories

**Summary::** AU-About 2 years after PTM. Obi-wan is having to deal without his Master, who is still alive, and training Anakin. 

**Disclaimer::** I don't own StarWars, I'm not getting money off of this. 

**Special Thanks to::** red_rose_knight, and CYNICAL21 for writing such great fan fics! You guys allowed me to get my mind into gear about writing. Hopefully this will be somewhat of good quality. 

" text " = normal/verbal talking   
italics = flashbacks   
'text' = talking through a bond/force communication.   
*text* = emphasized words 

**Notes:: ** Sorry for such a late post. I know how much it bothers people when it takes people to update their stories. ~_~;; I'll try not to do that again. 

_____________________________________________________________   
**Dead Ringer**

_"I tried to drown my past in grey_   
_I never wanna feel more pain_   
_Ran away from you without saying any words" - Art of Life, X-Japan_

Chapter Four :: The Pain of Memories

He stared at the ceiling for what could have been hours. Obi-wan was laying down on his sleep couch, most of his blanket was carefully gathered under his right shoulder using it to relive some of the pain that had dissolved to a dull throb. 

He didn't get much sleep the night before, and so most of the night he was slowly force healing the now minor gash on his neck. 

His shoulder was a different story. 

Bant had managed to fuse the bone back together just enough to were it wouldn't bother him too much. But that didn't stop the scream from the nerve endings. 

A quite chirp filled the room, along with the small flash of the green light. 

"Go away." he muttered to no one. 

The chirp persisted. 

Obi-wan heaved a heavy sigh, and the defeated Knight got up. 

"I'm coming. I'm coming." 

"Knight Kenobi." he stated only turning on the audio communication. 

"Did I wake you up?" The voice belonged to no other then Zhu. 

"Not really." and as to undermine his own statement a yawn over came him. 

"uh huh....don't forget you need to come in so we can check those wounds of yours." 

"Believe me, between you and Bant, I won't be allowed to forget." 

"Good. I was thinking about placing halo messages all over your apartment." 

"Thanks but no thanks." 

"Oh yes. I have one more question." Even without the view screen engaged Obi-wan could see a devilish grin forming on his friends face. 

"My padawan wants to know if you sleep in the nude." 

"MASTER!!" the horrified cry of Zhu's padawan came blaring through the unit. Zhu's laughter flooded through as soon as the cry was finished. 

"You should of had the view screen on! The look on her face was priceless!" 

"Sometimes I wonder what the Council was thinking when they allowed you, of all Jedi, to have a padawan." he managed to stifle his own laughter. 

"They weren't thinking!" shot back a retort in the background of Zhu's laughter. 

"Be nice to Jace, she's a good girl." Obi-wan chuckled slightly. 

"Are we talking about the same girl here?" 

"Yes" 

"So, Do you?" The Healers voice was dripping with mischief. 

"Do I what?" 

"Sleep in the buff?" he pressed the question again. 

"NO! now go away!" 

A rich laughter started back up, and the young Knight could only shake his head. 

"Don't forget your appointment." 

"I won't." another yawn nearly intercepted his words. 

"Okay. Navari Out." 

Obi-wan turned off the comm unit, a smile still hinting at his features. Sometimes he wondered if he was lucky or cursed to have the friends he did. Bant and Zhu were always picking on him. He knew that they cared about him, but sometimes he thought their only mission in life was to give him grief. Garren had always managed to get them both in trouble, but then again they always did have fun. Memories started to flood back to him, he remember them all as one, not just moment by moment. They were all so happy, so much acceptance, so much pride. The hint of the smile faded away, leaving a melancholy shine in his eyes. 

It was so painful. His heart convulsed nauseatingly, and he quickly squashed the memories that had been his past. He wanted to forget about all of it, as none of it had ever happened. It wouldn't be painful anymore if he forgot those times, those times when he was happy. The past didn't matter, it was what you did in the future. 

But no matter how much he wanted to believe, he couldn't. His eyes drifted to the small desk near by, to small plain box. He knew he couldn't believe, couldn't forget. He moved to the desk, his hand reaching down to the box, but stopped. There his hand wavered, unsure if he wanted to. It would only bring back more painful memories. He didn't want that. 

With a new focus, and a stiff lip he turned around gathering his clothing and retreated to the refresher. He would never again open that box. Never again gaze on the smooth stone that laid snuggly inside. 

******************************************************* 

Obi-wan had finally made it to the Mess hall. He had stopped to talk to several people on the way, and each face beamed when he approached. He couldn't tell why they were so happy to see him, and it seemed as if everyone wanted a piece of his time. 

His empty stomach was not very happy with all the delays he had been force to endure to get here. 

"Kenobi!" A voice to sweet to be anyone else but Jace's. He found her waving from the other side of the cafeteria. He nodded in her direction and went to get his food, then made his way to the table were she sat.   
  
"Padawan Priori." Obi-wan made his voice sound as stern as possible. Jace Priori was Zhu's 18 year old padawan. Thick locks of brown hair were kept up in a neat bun, the padawan braid that hung from behind her right ear was nearly 2 feet long. Jace was often teased by people for having a band of freckles that stretched from cheek to cheek on her face. The freckles suddenly disappeared under a shade of red, and she gave him a nervous smile.   
  
She opened her mouth to speak, but the words were lost somewhere along the way. Her mouth clamped shut and she dropped her face into her hands. 

A first he thought she was sobbing quietly, but soon it was all to clear that she was giggling madly. The Knight started to laugh as well, whole heartily. There had been no words exchanged but everything that had to be said, they did with laughter. 

Jace finally managed to get her giggles under control, wiping the tears from her hazel eyes. 

"By the Force! I can't believe he asked you that." Her laughter kept coming back in bursts as she remembered that little scene from before. 

"Your Master has no shame. I thought you would of learned that by now." He crumpled his own laughter enough to start eating. 

"I should of. But he keeps surprising me." She took a sip of her drink. 

Obi-wan glanced around huge room, unsure of who exactly he was looking for. But he had an ideal. He was searching for that one face that held that cold blue gaze. When he found no such match, he let his breath out. 

"Knight Kenobi." A low voice called from his left. 

"Padaw...." He stopped as he turned to fully look at the owner of the voice. His eyes quickly noticed the missing Padawan braid. "I mean, Knight Cammali" 

The grin on the new Knight's face was ear to ear. "How you been?" Luca Cammali crossed the end of the table, taking a seat across from the two. 

"I've seen better days. I'm sorry I wasn't able to be there for your Knighting. The Council has a knack for sending me out on missions when I've been invited to important events." His voice held an elegant hint of amusement. 

"Yeah I heard. Did you really get hit by a Slug Thrower?" He already knew the answer but wanted it to be confirmed. 

Obi-wan motioned to his shoulder and neck. "Unfortunately. I had not expected it, not in a thousand lifetimes." 

"Well I hope they heal real quick. You owe me a match for not being at my Knighting." 

"Deal." Obi-wan swallowed quickly. 

"I have to get back to the Healers Ward." Jace announced as she stood up, with her tray. 

"I'm going that way too. I'll walk you." Luca jumped up from his seat. 

"Your going to the Ward? Why?" Jace quirked one of her slender eyebrows. 

"Yeah I think I'm sick." He confessed. 

"Sick?" The Padawan Healer looked even more confused then before. She dumped the plate into the trash, placing the trey on the side with all the other. 

"Lovesick!" The newly appointed Knight, placed his hand over his heart, giving his best puppy dog eyes. 

Obi-wan had watched them, sitting quietly in his seat sipping his tea. 

Jace looked stunned for a moment, then started another giggle fit. "You idiot.." She barely managed to get out and then left, Luca following behind like a lost puppy. 

A smile cracked on his lips. Now matter how much time went by... 

...some things never change.   
____________________________________________________________________ 

**I wanted to get a whole lot futer then what I stopped at this chapter. But I suddenly drew a blank. Got a few more new characters, and as for Plot. It's coming! lol -AngelAssassin** 


	5. Five :: The Light Fades

**Summary::** AU-About 2 years after PTM. Obi-wan is having to deal without his Master, who is still alive, and training Anakin.****

**Disclaimer:: **I don't own StarWars, I'm not getting money off of this. 

**Special Thanks to::** red_rose_knight, and CYNICAL21 for writing such great fan fics! You guys allowed me to get my mind into gear about writing. Hopefully this will be somewhat of good quality. 

" text " = normal/verbal talking   
italics = flashbacks   
'text' = talking through a bond/force communication. 

**Notes:: ** NEH! I'm sorry for letting the story go, I've just been so busy with work and school, and I just haven't had time to write. I haven't forgotten about this story, and I will finish it. So please bare with me. Also thank you for your reviews! 

_____________________________________________________________   
**Dead Ringer**

_"Where once was light, now darkness falls,_   
_Where once was love, love is no more._   
_Don't say Goodbye._   
_Don't say I didn't try." - Gollums Song, TTT_

CHAPTER 5 :: The Light Fades

_"You're Jealous!" His Masters voice thundered, as Obi-wan set his shoulders square at the cruel judgment.___

_"I am not jealous, Master." The youth could barely squeeze the title of master from his lips. "You promised that you would go see the council about my trials today." He spoke very calmly, giving no hint to the ache in his chest.___

_"Anakin has needs that need to be sought to. Your trial can wait." Qui-gon diverted his eyes down to a datdapad with the days tasks.___

_He had promised for nearly a month now that he would go see the council about knighting Obi-wan, but every time something came up with Anakin that the Master could not ignore.___

_"You are not the boys Master, you're his nursemaid." Obi-wan could barely believe he had said that. But just as the words left his mouth, a harden hand made contact with his cheek. The force caused Obi's head to turn, and blood rushed to the skin providing a bright red slap mark on the side of his face.___

_The silence had grown to a deafening roar, and an emptiness filled the padawan's eyes.___

_"Obi.....I.."___

_Obi-wan shook his head, then turned to the apartment door. As he was about to leave, Obi-wan spoke to his Master for what felt like the last time. "I am asking the council that I be removed as your padawan, and placed under another master that is not so preoccupied with other things. Thank you for bringing me this far....and Goodbye, Master Jinn." With not another breath wasted, he left._

Obi-wan watched the sparring match between Master Navari and his padawan. For some odd reason they were not allowing him to leave their side. It had been that way ever since he left the mess hall to go to his check up at the Healers. 

Everyone was acting so strangely, was something going on that he didn't know about, or was this all just in his mind. 

"I would like to retire for the evening." The tired Knight stood up, rubbing his forehead softly. 

Just as quickly as he stood up, Jace was there to help him. Obi-wan blinked and refused her help. His injures were not as bad as they were yesterday. The bacta, and the force healing he had been doing in those long lonely hours of the night were paying off. In a few days he would be as good as new. 

"Mind if we walk with you to your apartment?" Zhu smiled, knowing the Knight would not refuse their company to walk with him to his apartment. 

"No not at all. But I really am fine." He moved his shoulder around to signify his returning health. 

"We know, but we like you so much we want to spend every waking hour with you." Jace beamed as she skipped ahead. 

Obi-wan blinked. Why was everyone so happy when they looked at him. He took a quick glance in the mirror to make sure everything was right with his appearance. His nose was in the right place, and the bruises left on his face didn't show that much anymore. His hair was the same color it had always been, not like that time Garren had put dye in his hair while he slept. 

Everything was fine. 

AS they neared Obi-wans apartment, a strange feeling creep to him through the force. 

Anger. 

Hatred. 

Rage. 

and Death. 

They suddenly shook his mind violently, his arm failed out to hold on to something before he fell. A strong supporting hand kept the dazed knight up. 

"Obi? What's wrong?" The mind healer voice his concern quickly. 

"The Force, did you not feel that?" The Knight struggled to regain his bearings. It took everything just to douse the echo of it. 

"Feel what?" 

"Never mind..." He took a deep breath, calming his shaken mind. His hand went to open his apartment hatch, but his finger wavered over the lock. IT was if something was screaming at him not to open the hatch. Something was on the other side of this door. Something he did not want to see. His heart pounded in his ears, and what felt like hours standing outside of his apartment was only a few seconds. But in those few moments he had forgotten about Zhu and Jace. The Master and Padawan stood silently waiting for him to open the door, with wide grins spreading from ear to ear. His finger pressed the lock. 

And the hatch slid open, and he was shoved into the darkened apartment. 

************************************************************************************ 

Mace Windu waited silently on the lift. This time of the day, the lifts were in heavy use, and with so many Jedi coming and going to nearly every level, it took forever to get to the lower area of the temple. 

"I knew I should of taken the stairs down to the lower temple levels." The Council member remarked as Qui-gon stepped on to the lift. 

"No denying that it would be faster." The graying Master agreed. "What takes you there?" Qui-gon pressed to strike up a conversation. 

"I'm having to go to Knight Kenobi's Apartment, since he isn't answering the comm unit." 

Qui-gon's lips tightened. He wasn't expecting to hear that name, but aftering seeing his former padawan in such a condition, he couldn't help but press a bit farther. 

"And how is Knight Kenobi doing?" 

"From what we gathered from the Healers, his bullet wounds are healing farley well. His over all health is fine, and mentally he is tired. Why the sudden interest?" A distasteful tone entered Mace's voice. 

"I saw him when he returned from his mission yesterday, I wondered then, as I wonder now. May I ask why you need to see him personally?" 

"Republic Law is wishing to bring him in for question regarding his last mission and the death of the Minister. I wish they would of asked me to do this tomorrow." Mace rapped his fingers on the wall of the lift. 

"Why? You're never one to put off things, and why are you going to the lower levels when Kenobi's apartment is above us?" 

Mace turned a wild eye to his friend, making Qui-gon wished he had never gotten on the lift in the first place. 

"Because weather you choose to remember it or not, it is Obi-wan's birthday...and I'm stalling to give him what ever he has left to celebrate." 

******************************************************************************** 

"SURPRISE!!!!!" It rang out in unison, as the light glared on the surprise party that was hiding in the dark. 

His heart was still racing, but he started to laugh wildly with everyone else. It was an uncontrollable laughter, but weather it was from the party that was planned for him, or the overwhelming relief that there was safety, he didn't know. 

"Happy Birthday, Brother!" Zhu carefully patted him on his back. "Sorry but no resting for you tonight! We are going to party until the sun comes back up!" 

A small group of friends had planned this party for weeks, praying and hoping that Obi-wan wouldn't be out on a mission on his birthday. 

And to Obi-wan, he had forgotten his birthday. He had hardly kept up with what day it was, since all the mattered was missions and the small rest in between those missions. 

Bant brought out a small cake with a few candles burning on top. "Garren wanted to be here, but you know how peace talks can be." 

Obi-wan bit his bottom lip, as a tear gathered on the rim of his eye. His friends would not forget him, no matter how hard he tried to forget himself, they would not forget him. He soaked the tear into the sleeve of his tunic before it had a chance to fall. 

"Thank you all very much." He could barely muster the words, his throat was tight with emotion. 

************************************************************************************ 

Mace stepped out of the next level the lift stopped at, leaving Qui-gon on the lift alone. Mace had planned to walk down to the lower levels, then take the stairs back up to Obi-wan's apartment, giving the young knight time to spend with his friends. 

As the lift started back down, Qui-gon felt his shoulders heavy. He had forgotten it was Obi-wan's birthday. He had forgotten a lot of things about Obi-wan, perhaps too many things. 

The Master shook off the feeling, Anakin was waiting for him at the gardens. Anakin was his padawan now, not Obi-wan. Obi-wan was no longer a padawan, but a Knight. 

And he could take care of himself. 

____________________________________________________________________ 

**Sorry sorry again for leaving it for so long. -clears the dust off of it- I'm back and I like to hear your reviews! -AngelAssassin**   



	6. Six :: Darkness Whispers

**Summary:** AU-About 2 years after PTM. Obi-wan is having to deal without his Master, who is still alive, and training Anakin. 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own StarWars, I'm not getting money off of this.

**Special Thanks to:** redroseknight, and CYNICAL21 for writing such great fan fics! You guys allowed me to get my mind into gear about writing. Hopefully this will be somewhat of good quality.

" text " normal/verbal talking  
italics flashbacks  
'text' talking through a bond/force communication.

**Terms:** (perhaps unknown vocab.)  
Xie-kuh pronounced ZEYE-Ka-uh

**Notes:** Sorry I haven't uploaded in awhile. I've got a few issue's happening in my life, and I won't be able to keep going with this fan ficiton. So I am turning it over to my friend, who has more time then I do. She is a great writer, and has co-wrote some other fan fictions I have done. I have given her an Outline of what I want to happen the in the story, so none of the story will be lost or changed. So Please tell her how much you like her writing.

**

* * *

**

**Dead Ringer**

_"Voices whisper softly in the darkness  
Cries of accusation, evil, lies  
Voices echo - screaming, throbbing, laughing  
Peel back my skull and look inside" Violent Mood Swings, Stabbing Westward_

CHAPTER SIX: Darkness Whispers

It had been a month since he had last saw the Temple, yet he was only a few miles away, locked up in a hotel suite until the Senate of the Republic could get all the facts. It had been so strange that everyone looked to blame him for the Minister's death.

Everyone one that is expect Chancellor Palpatine. He had defended him through the entire thing, and reassured him in so many ways, that it was beyond his control. He also confided in Obi-wan that investigators found a small metal object in the Minister's brain cavity.

Obi-wan had pondered it all as he sat in the Temple's garden, under the large weeping willow. It's long drooping branches provided a natural curtain from the rest of the gardens visitors. He wanted to be alone. He always wanted to be alone. It was easier that way. It was easier….

"Looking for you, I have." The familiar wording of Yoda's voice piped up from the other side of the curtain branches. The Master Jedi pushed them aside to allow himself into the little hideout.  
"Knew you would be here, I did." He held out his glimmer stick and taped Obi-wan on the knee.

Obi-wan let out a small tired smile, not wanting to talk. "I hope it's about my next mission."

"Always want a mission, you do. Never one to talk, you are not. But a mission we do have for you." Yoda bowed his head. He had hoped things would have been different. That perhaps Obi-wan and Qui-gon would resolve their differences. He knew Obi-wan felt wronged by his Master, Yoda felt it too. His heart was sadden to think of the things the once bright and happy Obi-wan had to deal with alone. He had seen the change in the Knight, no longer did he smile for the sake of smiling, nor laugh for the sake of laughing.

"Threats have been made on Chancellor Palpatine's life. Protect him, you will. And find who is behind them." Yoda again tapped his cane on the young Knights knee. That was all Obi-wan needed to know, in-fact that was all he was able to tell. If they had more information he would surely give it, but alas, there was none.

"Walk with me." Yoda turned and disappeared behind the willow branches, and Obi-wan was quick to follow.

The garden was full of colorful flowers and smells. There was a class of initiates being taught the finer details of plant life. They giggled with immature thoughts of the reproductive cycle of the flowers, ignorant that people take such things for granted these days.

"I have been feeling something tremble in the force." Yoda spoke out as his chair hovered at the correct height to speak to Obi-wan eye to eye.

"A tremble, Master?" Obi-wan inquired softly, unsure weather or not it was good or bad news.  
"Unsure as to what it is. Your name it calls." Yoda eyed the young knight to gage his reaction to see if perhaps Obi-wan too had felt this something.

Obi-wan kept the question off his face, his eyes looked down outlining the blades of grass as if he was tracing them with a pencil. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know, perhaps it was those powerful feelings of darkness he had been feeling. But those were hardly trembles, those were powerful blinding emotions in the force.

"I believe I have felt it as well, Master. But if what you feel are trembles, then I feel them as earthquakes…." He lifted his eye to gage Yoda's reaction, only to find the same wrinkly shriveled face that always looks back.

"Danger then, You are in. Guard your thoughts, and think on this, You will." And without a further word Yoda puttered off in his hover chair.

Obi-wan stood alone in the garden slightly bewildered.

Force! He thought to himself. He hated it when the Masters knew something he didn't. And he really hated when they wouldn't tell him.

* * *

"To tell you the truth Knight Kenobi, I do not believe that these threats will come to pass." The Chancellor rubbed his hands together in a false sense of worry.

"There are many people that have the means to carry out their threats. We must be vigilante none the less. You are too important for the Republic to lose." Obi-wan stood in the Chancellors Chambers. He always found something unnerving about Palpatine, as if he had a deep dark secret.

"Why do these groups wish for something else then peace?" Palpatine looked out the window of his chamber. His old weary eyes watching the traffic go by.

"Because of warped morals, perhaps because they are naturally war hungry, or they could be simply evil." Obi-wan was growing tired of the talk, he never liked to talk much after he parted ways with his Master. It was if everything reminded him of his Master. Former Master, he corrected himself.

"No, I don't believe in Evil. Morals, yes, but then again. If you were raised to where killing is correct and as is common as eating breakfast, how are you to know what is Evil?"

"I believe in Balance" Obi-wan retorted.

"But you do not provide balance. You provide enforcement of the laws. Where is the balance..."

Before the Chancellor could finish raising his point to the young knight a frantic voice came over the comm on his desk.

"We are under attack! The assassin, has already killed most of the guard and he is making his way to the chamber. He has an attack Dog with him, and…and…No! PLEASE NO!" The voice turned into a scream and then was suddenly silenced.

"Chancellor if you please. Lock yourself in your safe room. I will deal with this assassin and retrieve you when the threat is taken care of." Obi-wan looked back as the Chancellor placed himself in the panic room that was safe against almost anything. It was a convenient room in the office, providing everything he needed.

Obi-wan, once convinced that Palpatine was safely locked away and there where more guards to protect the safe room if he happened to fail. The JedI Knight left the chambers running down the hall where he had felt the disturbance.

As he ran, the air grew thick with fear, terror hung to everything leaving its dark mark on everywhere. He rounded a corner, and there amongst the lifeless bodies stood one man.

One perfectly beautiful man.

Inhuman midnight blue eyes stared at Obi-wan, as if he knew that the Jedi would come find him.

"I've been waiting for you, Jedi Kenobi." The young man's voice was gracefully low. Rouge snow white hair drifted in every direction, a beautiful red design tattooed upon his forehead. He was clothed in pure white robes, that neatly resembled Jedi robes. A large black mutated dog snarled as it ripped the flesh from the dead bodies. Horns grew from it's head, drool seeped from it's mouth, and oversized razor sharp canine teeth peeked from it's foaming mouth.

"How do you know my name?" Obi-wan was taken back by the sight of the monstrous dog eating the flesh of the guards. Blood dripping from it mouth full of flesh. Obi-wan swallowed feeling a wave of disgust flowing over him.

"All in good time." He reached for his light saber, a red blade ignited and small smile broke upon his lips.

"I am Xie-kuh. And this is Kun." No sooner had he said the Hell hounds name, did it look up with those glowing yellow eyes. Obi-wan swore there was almost human intelligence behind those evil sun colored eyes. Without warning the hound leapt toward him at an unreal speed. No doubt the hound was using the aid of the Force.

Obi-wan barely moved in time, the razor sharp teeth tearing at his robe.

"Oh, and it would wise if you didn't get bit by him. He caries a very fatal disease to most living things." Xie-kun allowed his smile to fade from his face, and a tranquil look over came his features.

Obi-wan could not feel him in the force, he could not feel the presents of this man. It was if the man was not standing in front of him at all. There was no force signature, which was impossible. Everything had a force signature.

"I do not know why my Master sees you as such a threat. I can feel everything that is running through your mind. Your darker mind..." Xie-kuh voice dripped with seduction of the dark side, yet it maintained the innocents of a child.

Obi-wan grinded his teeth. He could feel a small tickle touching his mind, passing through the shielding as if it wasn't even there. It was if his mind was an unlocked data pad, allowing full access to any and all memories.

"You don't know anything about me..." Obi-wan tried to bluff his way out of what was turning out to be a very scary moment.

"Don't I?" A thin wiry smile appeared on the Sith's pale lips.

Obi-wan was trying to keep his mind focus, but the tickles became stronger, nearly throwing him off balance at times. He could hear the snarl of the dog behind him, as it chow down on more dead remains.

"I will not let you harm the Chancellor." Obi-wan threw a glance back at the dog. That he could feel. The dark side of the force blaring from him like a signal flare.

"It's not the Chancellor that I am after." His voice suddenly turned from youthful innocence to that of a murder.

"I want…..you..." The Sith saw his opening for an attack as the Knight looked back toward Kun. And without hesitation he darted forward, his light saber thrust out in front of him.

Obi-wan drew and ignited his light saber in a blink of an eye. His blade connected just in time with Xie-kuh's, the glowing energy of his blade searing his robes as he pushed his attack aside. His mind was puzzled, questions circled like water going down a drain. Like why he couldn't feel the Sith in the force. Why was there no emotion, when emotion was the Sith greatest tie to the force.

He was too calm. A Jedi calm. Not like the Sith he face on Naboo.

They both dance around the dead bodies, while their light sabers blazed in a beautiful and deadly game.

He's good. Obi-wan complemented his enemy, finding many of the attack combinations familiar. Too familiar.

A terrible and searing pain ripped through Obi-wan thigh, as flesh was torn away from his body. He cried out in pain, his eyes traveling down to the monstrous beast that was pulling off a piece of his flesh and devouring it.  
Obi-wan pulled himself, applying a powerful kick to the dog's jaw. Kun recoiled as he hit the wall, and was back on it's paws before it hit the ground.

Another warning screamed through the force as Obi-wan suddenly remembered Xie-kuh. He turned toward the youth blocking another attack that came too close for Obi-wan's comfort.

Before Obi-wan had a chance to move to counter Xie-kuh's attack, the beast took another bite, this time clamping down in the bone.

Then he felt it.

It was if a door had opened, and he could feel all of the dark force around him. It was blinding, painful, so dark he couldn't see the light. This was unlike anything he had ever felt. He looked back at Xie-kuh through pain filled eyes.

The Sith held no look of satisfaction.

Obi-wan could not fight back. The darkness that he was feeling hurt him too much to move. It stopped his movements, freezing his body. It threw him wildly into the dark, pulling a heavy blanket of confusion over his mind.

The hound bit down harder on the exposed bone, and with a powerful turn of it's head, snapped the bone like a twig.

Obi-wan thudded to the ground heavily, his lightsaber fell from his hand, disengaging and clattering to the floor.

He cried out again. It burned. Like acid flowing through his veins.

"Kun, come." Xie spoke softly through the Jedi Knight's screams. He disengaged his saber and placed in back upon his belt.

Kun let go of the knight's leg, and padded back over to his master. Xie-kuh's hand reached down and patted the dog on the head. "You did well." He spoke to it softly, almost lovingly.

Obi-wan hissed through his teeth, breathing hard. The pain was too much to even begin to process what was happening around him.

It darkness lashed out at him, through him, around him. Like a razor hot knife cutting away at his flesh.

Xie-kun walked forward, kneeling next to the fallen Knight. His white robes moving gracefully around him as he knelt.

"I told you that his bite was deadly. But for a Jedi it caries something far worse then death." His slender hand reached down to brush his fingers through Obi-wan's hair.

"I can feel that you are waiting for death, but I can not grant that to you." He wiped the sweat from Obi-wan's brow.

"I have brought you a whole new world to explore." His head tipped forward and kissed Obi-wan's forehead tenderly, and then stood up, leaving the Knight to his own. His steps where silent as he left, the hell hound following faithfully.

Obi-wan couldn't handle it anymore. It was boiling through his veins. He had to release it. He had to release the darkness from his body.

He wanted it to go away.

He wanted it all to go away.

Everything. He wanted to destroy it all.

The air around him began to crackle, and the smell of burning flesh flooded the hall way.

It boiled up through his throat, erupting from his lungs. A scream full of rage, death, anger, and pain. It rang through the halls, and through the force like a mighty shock wave.

* * *

Yoda was shaken out of his meditation by Obi-wan's scream through the force. His little body was trembling for all to see.

Every Jedi in the temple had felt it. Masters to initiates had felt the scream, and the release into the force.

"What was that?" Mace Windu looked at the little master.

"Obi-wan." Yoda looked down at the floor titles, worry crossing over his wrinkled facial features.

"Go to him, we must."

* * *

When they got to Obi-wan he was still twisting in pain, his cries had gotten softer only because of his raw throat was failing to verbalize.

Yoda rushed to him, pushing past the thick cold feelings of the dark side. Pushing past the burnt bodies that littered the hallway.

Darkness crawled around them all. Chilling them to the bone.

"Calm yourself, Obi-wan. You must calm yourself." Yoda placed his tiny green hand on Obi-wan's forehead, giving him a force suggestion.

Qui-gon crept around the corner, the cries of his former padawan ringing through his ears. He too had felt release through the force, and the force signature was no doubt Obi-wan's. His heart, if he could be accused of having, one caught in his throat as he saw Obi-wan laying on the floor. Blood soaking his pants, his leg positioned in a way that could only be broken.

It was like someone ripped the skin from his body, Obi-wan thrashed around wildly at Yoda's force suggestion, knocking the Jedi master backwards. A muted cry rose up through Obi-wan's horse throat as the air around them began to crackle again, and heat up.

"We must calm him! Or lost to us all, he will be!" Yoda yelled out to the other Jedi Masters.

The other Jedi rushed to them, holding down Obi-wan's flailing arms and legs.

Qui-gon remained back, his eyes looking on in horror, as Obi-wan screamed and struggled like a wild beast.

"Force Obi, what happened here..." He allowed the words to slip past his lips in disbelief. Their had definitely been a lightsaber fight here. He could see the marks where the blades had came too close to the walls. The wall themselves were blackened and charred, only the small space around Obi-wan had been spared from what ever had torched the place.

Soon Obi-wan's cries grew silent as it took the force suggestion of 4 Masters to lead him into sleep.

"Get him to the healers ward, fear I do for him." Yoda stood up, as the masters lifted Obi-wan from the floor and on to a back board.

"Dark forces are at work here." Yoda looked up as the Chancellor who came to see for himself the devastation the attempt on his life has caused.

"Oh, Master Yoda. How is the boy? Will he be okay?" The Chancellor voice held a sense of false worry.

"Hurt badly he is...we must wait and hope for his health." Yoda turned and looked at Qui-gon, who was still hiding to the back of hall.

"Qui-gon, go with Obi-wan. Stay behind and find out what happened here, I will." Yoda informed them looking back at the chaos.

Qui-gon was about to follow the Healers out when he saw the slightest smile fall upon the Chancellor lips.

Convincing himself that it was only a trick of the light and his imagination, he turned and left to be with his fallen former padawan.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Yes it's true. I've taken over this fan fiction at the request Ro. I hope you guys enjoy my writing style, and please don't let this discourage you from reading this story. 


	7. Seven :: Phantom Wind

**Summary:** AU-About 2 years after PTM. Obi-wan is having to deal without his Master, who is still alive, and training Anakin. 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own StarWars, I'm not getting money off of this.

**Special Thanks to:** redroseknight, and CYNICAL21 for writing such great fan fics! You guys allowed me to get my mind into gear about writing. Hopefully this will be somewhat of good quality.

" text " normal/verbal talking  
_italics_ flashbacks or dreams, depends on what is going on.  
'text' talking through a bond/force communication.

**Terms:** (perhaps unknown vocab.)  
Xie-kuh pronounced ZEYE-Ka-uh

**Notes:** I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I hope I don't disappoint in this one.

**

* * *

**

**Dead Ringer**

_"Through my eyes,  
Time goes by like tears,  
My emotion's losing the color of life,  
Kill my heart,  
Release all my pain,  
I'm shouting out loud,  
Insanity takes hold over me." Art of Life, X-Japan_

**CHAPTER SEVEN: Phantom Wind**

The cries echoed through the healers ward of the Jedi Temple. As Obi-wan had awoken from the powerful force suggestions that he was given earlier. They had to restrain him to the operating table, as his strength was more powerful then he had ever been.

Navari had never seen anything like this before. He was fearful for whatever had given his friend this powerful surge of complete and utter...

...rage.

The healers scrambled around him trying to get his bleeding leg cleaned up, while other tried to shoot him up with sedatives with no luck. Even being tied down, Obi-wan was still managing to thrash around uncontrollably, and any healer that had gotten near him was thrown back by a shove through the force.

He knew he had to do something. And he had to do something soon.

Navari Zhu rushed forward, his hand going to either side of Obi's face, holding his head still.

"Obi...OBI! Look at me! You need to calm down!" Navari screamed out at his friend trying to make eye contact.

When eye contact was established, Navari was not ready for what he saw looking back at him. The emerald colored eyes of the Healer met with ever sea changing eyes of Obi-wan. They glistened as tears brimmed on the edge of unimaginable pain filled orbs, giving them the since that you could forever swim in those blue green pools.

"It...burns." Obi-wan manage to squeeze out through the clinched teeth of agony.

"What burns? Obi?" Navari felt his heart leap with the sliver of hope that he was making progress.

"My...blood...burns...the FORCE...BURNS" He was trying to gain control of his rage filled body. His teeth grinded together as he took another deep breath, every muscle tightening, threatening to burst them at the seem.

For a moment it appeared as the injured Knight was gaining control of his affliction. His body was still tightened, his hands balled into fists, his arms and legs still placing tension of the restraining straps. The healers that had been trying to administer sedatives to him rushed in, not wanting to waste their opportunity.

Navari never wavered from those horror stricken eyes of Obi-wan's. Slowly they began to dull as the drugs started to take effect, pulling Obi-wan into sleep. His eyes grew heavy, and his body started to relax reluctantly.

The Master Healer watched his friend began to welcome painless sleep. Falling ever faster into the pits of the unknown darkness.

'help...me..' Obi-wan's plea echoed through Navari's mind as did the cold feeling of hopelessness.

* * *

_Obi-wan found himself sitting upon a wall, overlooking the beautiful gardens of Naboo, and the wondrous landscape beyond the palace walls. Naboo had been one of his favorite planets. The lush of green never seemed to run out, and the crystal blue waters were perhaps the clearest water he had ever seen._

_Never mind that him and his master had been there to stop a war. And now his master spent all his time with the boy from Tatooine. While he, Obi-wan laid in a hospital bed, recovering from wounds that he had received from the duel with the Sith. Injuries that could have been fatal, if he had not foreseen them. He knew he had been out of it for months, waking up for a few moments at a time, his body weightless in a bacta tank. But still, he thought, his master would of waited for him to get well again._

_"Obi-wan? What are you doing out here?" He heard the voice of the Padme pipe up behind him, her graceful voice projecting it's concern._

_"Just admiring the scenery." He didn't bother looking at her. His eyes lost in the distances of the skies. He found himself wanting, longing to be in the presents of his Master._

_"Shouldn't you be laying down? You where hurt pretty badly. I know it's been awhile since then, but."_

_"No, I'm alright. I just needed to be outside." He caught a sigh in his throat stopping it before it had a chance to escape. He slipped down from the wall carefully, as not to agitate the still healing injury._

_There had been, during that time he spent floating in the tank, the faded image of an empty chair across from the room. The silence of the bacta gave him that muted feeling, and he shook his head as if it still filled his ears._

_Things had happened so fast during the duel. He had seen what was going to happen for months, and he knew that if he let his Master die, then the Jedi Order would of followed soon after. He had changed everything._

_No one would walk the path that destiny wrote._

* * *

The council sat in their collective room, at the very top spire of the Jedi Temple. All eyes had watched the security vid's with a keen eye. They had watched it from all angles. They had watched Obi-wan engage the Sith, and the monstrous beast which accompanied him. 

At the moment the hell hound brought his jaws down on Obi-wan's thigh, Yoda's ears dropped down, and an uneasiness filled his heart.

The image of Obi-wan holding on to the last of strength to fight what ever it was the Sith had done to him. And then that in-human scream torn from him, and a energy that blinded the holo-cams and destroyed them.

"Disturbing this is." Yoda looked down to the floor below him, stirring his cane on the tile top.

"I've never seen a beast such as that. Could it have been engineered?" Mace looked at the little troll, knowing that Yoda would know of such thing.

But Yoda would not relinquish his information, waiting for a better time to speak on his suspicions.

* * *

_At the moment his world went dark, Obi-wan could feel the cold nipping at him. Like freezing water soaking him, seeping through his flesh and cutting into his bones._

_He could feel something watching him from the darkness that surrounded him._

_"Come out..." Obi-wan called out in the darkness, his heart racing. He felt what was not there._

_"I know you are there, Xie-kuh." His voice flatted, nearly spitting out the name._

_"I have brought you into this world." The youthful voice of the Sith echoed endlessly. "And I can bring you even further into it."_

_A red saber ignited in the distance of the darkness, but it did not illuminate the owners form. It twirled about slicing the empty air._

_A searing pain burned into Obi-wan's arm. Instinctively he reached to it to cradle the throbbing wound. As the saber danced about, each slice caused another burn to the Jedi's arm._

_And then as suddenly as the saber appeared, it disengaged._

_The Knight took the time to examine his arm, his tunic suddenly missing, leaving his skin exposed to the chilled darkness. Slowly his eyes began to focus on the burned pattern on his skin. It was a beautifully designed symbol now rising up in an angry red mark._

_The sound of rain drops slowly lifted to his ears, they echoed in the empty halls of his mind, and then as each one hit the ground, they illuminated the blackness. He was standing in the temple gardens, and he could feel the droplets raining down on him, in an un-natural display of nature._

_A confusion rang through him, as he began to walk to get out of the rain, holding the burn on his arm, forgetting where he was a moment ago. Forgetting that the Sith still loomed about._

_A warning flared through the force, as a saber hilt was trusted toward his head._

_He jerked his head to the side, but not quickly enough, his feet slipped on the slick tile walkway, hindering his movement._

_A shock sped through his temple, knocking his sight into a blur, his knees buckled beneath him, as he could no londer control them, his face smashed against the walkway, splashing in apool of cool water._

_Traveling upward his eyes daisly tried to focus on a stoic Jedi figure now standing before him._

_Red had started to mix with the clear water on his face. Obi-wan placed his hands to the wet tiles, picking himself off the ground and on to his knees bringing a hand to his temple._

_"Master?" Obi-wans voice could not mask the betrayal he felt._

_"Obi-wan..." The voice of his master spoke softly, as his fingers traveled backwards through the ginger strands of Obi-wan's hair. Abruptly they grabbed his hair, clinging tightly to the beautifully soaked locks._

_"You are a failure. A pathetic padawan. You don't deserve to be called a Jedi!" Qui-gon's voice echoed through-out the empty garden, as a knee connected to the younger Jedi's face._

_Obi-wan reeled backward, tearing his head free of his masters hold. Deep red spilling from his mouth._

_Obi-wan shook his head trying to regain his lost vision. This could not be his Master. No matter what was said during that time, during their decay as a Master/Padawan team, his Master would never..._

_...could never..._

_The rain drops stung his eyes, the cold numbing his nose and fingers. During his inward debate of the reality of this world, a hand suddenly grabbed his throat, clinging to it with a merciless force. Only one hand had ever held him with such power, but showed such tender touches, his sight now becoming clear, his saxe-blue eyes now looking blankly into the ice blue eyes of his Master._

* * *

Navari looked over the report on the data pad with worried eyes. There was an unknown substance in Obi-wan's blood, but it appeared not to be causing any ill effect on his body. 

His emerald green eyes shifted to the now peaceful figure sleeping under the light weight of blankets. Obi-wan's breath was so soft, that there was times that the Master Healer held his own breath, waiting for the slightest sound to come from the sleeping Jedi. The soft beeps of machines eased Navari, knowing his friend's heart was still beating.

The harsh sounds of footsteps came to a stop at the open hatch of Obi-wans room. And the softness that Healers eyes held, suddenly harden at the sight of Obi-wan's former Master standing in the door way.

"I'm sorry Master Jinn, but he has not woken up yet." Navari kept a soft tone to his voice. He disliked the Master, but he would not let it control his actions.

"Excuse me. You have to leave..." Another familiar voice piped up from behind the unwanted Master.

Qui-gon turned around, to see Bant glaring at him.

"Forgive me." Qui-gon quickly removed himself from her way, stalking down the hall. The Master had truly worried about his former apprentice. The missions Obi-wan was taking seemed as if they were to fulfill some death-wish that the Young Knight had adopted.

"Bant, be nice. He was just worried about his health." Navari used a fatherly tone toward the Calamari.

"Well he should of worried 2 years ago." The Jedi Healer spat out, as she folded her arms in-front of her.

* * *

_The younger Jedi gasped for air, as he was lifted into the air. A small trickle of blood ran down his temple, the searing pain of the mark on his arm sizzled with each rain drop._

_From the corner of his eye, Obi-wan caught the monstrous figure of the Hell hound that had bitten him earlier. His voice gargled in his throat as he could not speak. His eyes flashed back to his Masters, but found a very different set of eyes looking back at him._

_Xie-kuh's midnight blue eyes looked back at him, as his slender hand loosened it's grip from around Obi-wans neck. His other hand reached up and his long fingers gently brushed the stream of blood from the Knight's face, his eyes piercing through to Obi-wans very being._

_"Your Master betrayed you...He threw you away..." The words that were spoken had a hint of fact. There was a time when this fight took place. The time when his Master accused him of spying on him for the Jedi Council._

_"Trying to ruin the Chosen One's beautiful light. That is what he said to you, is it not?" Xie-kuh voiced the exact words that had been spoken during that time so long ago._

_Thick sadness swelled up in Obi-wan's sea-green eyes. Though his voice did not speak, his lips mouthed a word of agreement._

_The young Sith reached up again and brushed back the ginger strands of Obi-wan's hair with tender strokes. The rain drops rolled off the back of his white cloak, his white hair was matted down, and the cool water rolled down his pale face. Quietly he leaned in, placing his lips to Obi-wan's ear, whispering softly as whispers tend to do._

_"They are nothing to you, just as you were to him."_

_The drops of rain gathered in the Jedi's thick eye lashes, the soft strokes of Xie-kuh's fingers racked his body with shivers. It was not the rain that was the cause of the frosty shivers. No, it was the words so softly spitted into his ear, they now ran in his ears like a devils footsteps, like rapids currents on boulders._

_His blood began to boil with liquid fire, as he tried to control the rage that was suddenly starting to swallow him whole. Something was raging on the inside of him. Something that was not him. A storm that swept a hated passion, searching for the smallest opening, the tiniest of cracks to allow it's hell driven wrath loose upon the outside world._

* * *

As the two Healers engaged in a soft conversation about the mysterious substance coursing through Obi-wan's veins, a pitcher of water crashed to the floor, allowing the contents to spill out across the tiles. 

Bant and Navari looked at each other in a curious fashion, then to Obi-wan. The young Knight's face started to twist in an unknown pain, and a cry ripped from his throat.

The contents of the room started to rattle and shake, as they started to be tossed around violently. The very floor on which they stood started to jump and jive.

"Get a Force suppression collar NOW!" Navari yelled out to Bant, who was already out of the room and down the hallway, to a medical supply room.

The metal walls of the Healers Ward started to groan under the strain of the attack.

* * *

_Obi-wan fell to his knee's, trying to control the darkness that was trying to eat him alive. He heard it whispering to him, to destroy everything. The overwhelming power surged through his veins, the power to control life, the power to make it, and the power to take it away._

_Heat began to pour from his body, the rain water disappearing, his hair becoming dry. Shadows rolled from him, caressing his soul with falseness of tender touches._

_There was a soft whisper glowing in the back of his dark thoughts. He struggled to hear what it had to say. Inwardly he reached out to grasp it, taking the soft glowing ball into his hands, cradling it protectively._

_"There is no emotion; there is peace." His soft lips repeated the code, and the radiate ball of light started to grow, striking back the darkness that was caressing Obi-wan. Slowly he released it into the Force, and a very desirable tranquility over came him._

_The golden tincture in the midnight blue eyes of Xie-kuh reflected the light with an indifference, as the Knight started to pull himself from the dark side of the force._

_The golden rays of light started to poke holes through the Sith's figure, trying to force the darkness from Obi-wan's mind. In the distance the tormented howl the the hound echoed as the light drove it away._

_"It is..." Xie-kuh's voice spoke so softly he feared it would shatter. He brought his hands up, looking at them basking in the marvelous warmth. His form slowly chipping away._

_"...beautiful." His low voice echoed with the innocents of a child, as his form crumbled, and disappeared._

* * *

Bant skidded back into the room just as the shaking had stopped. Navari was kneeling next to Obi-wan's beside, his eyes closed in deep meditation. 

A soft groan escaped Obi-wan's lips and his eyes slowly started to open to the bright world of reality. Navari slowly stood up, looking to his friend.

"Are you okay? Is everything alright?" Bant looked between the two, the collar held tightly in her hand.

Navari smiled softly at Obi-wan before looking toward the younger Healer.

"Everything is going to be alright." Obi-wan's weak accented voice rose above the silence.

* * *

With in a darkened room deep with in the senate halls, knelt Xie-kuh. His white robes elegantly flowed around him in his deep meditation, his smooth pale face was beautiful in the soft glow of the screens. 

The calmness of his posture was envied by the Dark Lord who stood watching his bioengineered apprentice.

Slowly Xie's eyes opened, the smallest glimpse of admiration was held for a brief moment in those star filled orbs. But the silent void quickly rushed in removing the emotion before the young man's mind had a chance to register it.

"An outside force broke my connection. The Poison is inside him, it will be difficult for him to call upon the Force without falling toward the Dark Side." Xie-kuh remained in his kneeling position.

"Excellent. Everything is going as planned." The venom tone hissed with rapture.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I didn't know how to end this one. I hope it is okay, and I hope you guys continue to read.  



	8. Eight :: Awoken Scars

**Summary:** AU-About 2 years after PTM. Obi-wan is having to deal without his Master, who is still alive, and training Anakin. 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own StarWars, I'm not getting money off of this.

**Special Thanks to:** redroseknight, and CYNICAL21 for writing such great fan fics! You guys allowed me to get my mind into gear about writing. Hopefully this will be somewhat of good quality.

" text " normal/verbal talking  
_italics_ flashbacks or dreams, depends on what is going on.  
'text' talking through a bond/force communication.

**Terms:** (perhaps unknown vocab.)  
Xie-kuh pronounced ZEYE-Ka-uh

**Notes:** I really like reading everyone's reviews! If you don't like waiting for the chapters, I post the sections up at after I type them.

**

* * *

**

**Dead Ringer**

_"Fallen angels at my feet  
Whispered voices at my ear  
Death before my eyes  
Lying next to me I fear  
She beckons me  
Shall I give in  
Upon my end shall I begin  
Forsaking all I've fallen for  
I rise to meet the end__" Whisper, Evanescence_

**CHAPTER EIGHT: Awoken Scars**

_Obi-wan sat in the common room shared by his Master. His hands were cuffed around a small tea cup, the content had long cooled off, forgotten by the wondering thoughts of the padawan._

_A red and black tattooed face flashed in his memories. Obi-wan closed his eyes, knowing the Force showed him the future. Most of the times it was fuzzy and unclear, but during his times of deep meditation, everything was so crisp. The sounds, even the smell of the energy core came through as if he was truly there._

_Why had this vision come to him with such urgency. Why did he hear the gentle whisper of his Master, struggling to speak?_

_'Promise me, you will train the boy...'_

_The padawan's grip around his cup tightened in an unsettled response to those words._

_"Obi-wan? Is everything alright?"_

_Obi-wan was startled out of his thoughts by the rich booming voice of his Master._

_"Yes, I was just..."_

_"Just sitting there for two hours. I was starting to think you adopted some new meditation position." The older Jedi allowed a carefree smile to slip across his face._

_Obi-wan couldn't help but smile back. The message of the vision suddenly forgotten in the moment._

_"No Master, don't be ridiculous." He said standing from his seat, placing down the cold cup of tea._

_"But Master Zhu did teach me a very rare meditation style."_

_"Oh he did, did he?" Qui-gon held a humorous expression on his face._

_"It involves a fuzzy rat, and a large hover ball." A mischievous smile spread from ear to ear on the padawan._

_"And where does this take place?" Qui-gon's amused smile fell to a worried look, wondering just what wickedly mischievous prank he had gotten himself into._

_"In the initiates meditation room, of course!" Obi-wan nudged his Master toward the door, pulling a small remote control from his utility belt._

* * *

"Looks like your going to be my guest for a few days..." Bant smiled at the Knight, placing the data pad down on the tray of untouched food. 

"Obi-wan, you need to eat." She sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

Obi-wan's eyes remained unmoving as they gazed out of the large window that had always adorn every medical room he had ever had the pleasure in staying in.

"Bant, I don't feel like me..." His words had been spoken softly, as the images and the words of Xie-kuh replayed in his head over and over again. His arm still throbbed with a burn that was not there. He didn't feel like himself anymore. As if everything was just slightly out of place, everything was just slightly different.

He allowed his eyes to unlock from their steady view of Coruscant night life to the large concerned eyes of the Calamari Healer.

"You will in a few days. I promise. You're the same old Obi-wan I knew in my Padawan days, just uglier." She teased him as she often did. Obi-wan's appearance in the last two years had turned into more of a rugged warrior, rather then the eloquent diplomat that he had been seen as. The boyish charm had grown into a dashing manly appeal. The perfectly chiseled brow, nose and mouth, the tanned weathered skin gave him a seductive charisma that so many people strived to reproduce. Obi-wan managed it without the slightest thought.

Obi-wan squeezed out a small sheepish smile toward his friend, knowing she was wrong. The Force felt strange to him, eluding him when he went to grasp it, straying away from his touch. It had never done that before. He remembered feeling the darkness that wrapped around him during that nightmare. Out of habit, his hand ran down the bareness of his chest, trailing the rough scar that had been burned into him during the battle of Naboo. If people had only seen what motivated him to fight the Sith without the aid of his Master, they would have thought him to be selfish.

"Well I have to go make my rounds. You eat, okay?" Bant stood up, picking up the data pad that she had placed down earlier, and moving toward the door of the room.

But Obi-wan never answered her, his eyes had returned to looking out the large window, watching with no particular interest in the passing traffic.

* * *

_The eyes of the young padawan held a steady gaze at the wall, his mind fixated on an imaginary foe, that he was destined to fight one day. He knew that if he made a mistake, when this duel of the fates took place, then he would end up a Master-less padawan. It was a selfish reason to change destiny, but he was not about to let some tattooed beast take away his beloved Master._

_In Obi-wan's mind the figures black robes twisted and twirled, a red lightsaber spinning with a perfected and uncontrolled fury. Obi-wan closed his eyes, placing himself with in the vision. The low lighting of the empty training room glistened on the beads of sweat that rolled down his beautiful muscular back. _

_The soft hum of his saber purred as he confronted the manifested opponent. Obi-wan leapt backwards, just as the enemy brought a swift kick toward his head. That was the mistake Obi-wan had kept making in the earlier attempts to practice the already written fight. Had he allowed himself that mistake, his master would of ran ahead, sealing his fate beyond the laser barriers, where he would have to watch helplessly as the Sith ran his Master through._

_He wouldn't let it happen._

_For hours he went through the actions of the fight, toying with different attack combinations that would not end with the death of his Master. Each time he replayed the fight in his mind, and each time he had to watch as the Sith delivered the final blow to Qui-gon._

_"Dwell not on the future, but in the moment." The worn voice of the ancient little master spoke out as Obi-wan completed yet another failed attempt at saving his Master's life._

_Obi-wan kept his eyes closed, still in a meditative trance._

_"But I can not allow this to happen, Master Yoda." The tired padawan spoke between the rushed breaths._

_"The Future is always in motion. Only in the moment, is when change will happen." Yoda took small steps into the center of the room._

_"Calm, a Jedi must always be. Be mindful of the future, but do not dwell." His words were hushed in the empty room, speaking his wisdom to the young padawan._

_"Yes, Master." Obi-wan finally opened his eyes, the pale blue sparkled with the pale blue of his lightsaber. The tiny green Master's advice did nothing to remove the weight that kept pushing down on his heart._

_"I am afraid that my Master will die." The padawan whispered, his young voice trembled with the sad thought of being alone._

_"There is no Death; there is the Force." Yoda reminded him, trying to comfort the despair in the youth._

* * *

The empty stare from midnight eyes looked up at the piece of monitoring equipment that he was placed in. His perfect slender form appeared so fragile and breakable on the exam table. 

"It seems that the encounter went well. I can find no problems, M'Lord." A woman's voice spoke up as she looked over the read outs.

Xie-kuh's listened to the report the Lead Bio-Engineer gave his Master, his thoughts on that of the Jedi's mind that he had entered. He was unaware of how the Jedi felt, he could not relate in anyway to the screams of rage that had filled his ears.

The Poison that was produced in Kun, the hell-hound saliva was a type of Sith Poison. Making it nearly impossible for the infected to resist the Dark Side. Each time the Force was called upon it would draw the wielder deeper into the maddening world of darkness.

The bright light caused Xie to squint as they pulled the table he was laying on from under the massive scientific machine. He remained there until he was commanded to sit up, as he was not to act out on his own accord. The thought that ran through a normal mind, did not in his. His heart was an empty slate, there was no emotion, only an dark peace that coursed through him. He truly had no evil thoughts, for that word held no meaning.

The light that had forced him out of Obi-wan's mind, was so pure and so...

...beautiful.

That word too, should've held no meaning to him, but instead it made his heart flutter softly.

"Xie-kuh, can you not hear me?" The woman demanded in a harsh motherly tone. The young man turned his attention toward her, the soft paint of rouge glistened on her lips, the blood red curls of her hair where plastered in place, as never to look unprofessional. Doctor Ritune was the Lead Bio-Engineer, and it was in her brilliant mind that his life was possible.

'We will not need them for much longer, my apprentice.' A silky dark voice echoed in his mind.

'And the un-needed should not be allowed to live.' Xie-kuh responded through the bubbling black bond he shared with the Darkness.

"Xie-kuh, you are to return to the tank." She repeated herself again. But this time her voice was softer. Xie-kuh looked away from her as it stood, through the window he could see Darth Sidious sitting with in the darkness, a pair of glowing yellow eyes that could only belong to Kun, the sith hound sat at his feet.

Sith Hounds, as they had been called in the past, had too been engineered by Sith Acolytes to protect the tombs in which their dead Masters had been put to rest. Kun, during one of Darth Sidious excursions, was found at the opening to a very old and formidable Sith Warrior's Tomb. After the dead of the great Dark Lord Marka Ragnos, a power struggle had broken out among the ruling fractions of the Sith. There was, however a 3rd party to the War. The commander Lahanna, was in command of her own powerful fleet of ships, and her own powerful warriors. Lahanna was however more intrested in making her own Empire, and when Republic Starbreaker 12 arrived in the Sith territory, she saw her opportunity. They had followed Starbreaker 12 back to Republic space, and started the Great Hyperspace War.

But that was not whom the tomb belonged to. It belonged to Lahanna's apprentice, Ishtar Montari. She was cunning, seductive, and fierce in a way that her master could never be. During the end of the war, Ishtar and 2 of her fellow warriors, over through the Zabrak Master, taking the fleet and her power for themselves. They had retreated back to the Sith territories when it was evident that the Sith were going to lose. During their time of exile it was written that Ishtar had died in the pursuit of immortality.

A pity, the Dark Lord thought to himself.

He had found her perfectly preserved body in a perminate suspended animation, that she would never wake from. She was very beautiful for someone that had such an ugly darkness with in her. He remembered looking at her through the preservation tank, her beautiful white hair braided with the yellow and red feathers of a rare battle hydra. The beautiful curls of a black tattoo, circled it's way down the left side of her face. Her face seemed so innocent and young looking for the life that she led. Her eternal youth was a gift from Aoi, her lover and friend. Her followers had preserved her at the moment of death, hoping one day she would be brought back to the land of the living.

It was her DNA that was used to clone Xie-kuh. But little of her true DNA had survived her life with Aoi.

Aoi was an infamous Sith Acolyte in those days. He had bestowed her with natural metallic armor and other body modifications. And with such a mis-mash of alchemy her DNA was left mangled and incomplete.

But luckily they had completed the strand from a Jedi Donor, which was easily obtained after Darth Maul failed on Naboo.

Xie-kuh was a marriage between the DNA of the two Force users. And what a beautiful marriage it was.

* * *

Qui-gon rubbed his forehead in fustration, trying to control the emotion flowing inside of him. 

"This is the 3rd time that Anakin has been in a fight with the other padawans of his class." Mace cast a cold and judgmental eyes toward the stoic Master.

"This is a new enviroment for..."

"It has been two YEARS, Qui-gon." Mace cut the Masters excuse short.

"I will work with him harder to control his anger." Qui-gons answer was short, wanting only to remove himself from the Councils crucial gaze.

When the conference with the Jedi Council was over, Qui-gon stalked down the halls toward the Healers Ward.

He was fuming that the council always saught to blame Anakin for all the fights, when his padawan was clearly drawn into it by the taunts of the other older more experinced padawans. It wasn't fair.

It wasn't fair to him. It wasn't fair to Obi-wan.

Qui-gon stopped in mid-step. Why had he thought of that name.

That name.

Quickly he shook his former padawan from his thoughts, reclaiming his merciless stride.

His pace slowed as he entered the Healers Ward, sneaking past the front desk, casting out with the force to find which room his padawan was in. As he slipped through the halls, he heard Bant and Navari carrying out a debate.

"It doesn't appear to be affecting his body." The Calamari Healer pointed out on the read out.

"I don't think it is meant to affect the body, I think it is meant to affect the Force. What else could of caused Obi-wan's sudden rage? The Dark Side was overwhelming." Navari's sturn voice was heavy with worry.

Qui-gon's heart sank and the mention of Obi-wan. Obi-wan? Using the dark side?

"But Obi would never give into the darkside." Bant gave her voice a rough tone as if she was channeling Qui-gon's thoughts.

"I was there. It wasn't something that he could help, it was if the Force was coming through a different source. As if it was amplified." The Master Healer softened his tone. "As you can see, the midi-chlorian are absorbing this alien protein." He stretched his long finger and pointed to the screen.

"But how do you know? You said there was someone in his mind with him. What if that was the cause?"

"I caught a glimpse of someone, that's all. It was so intense." Navari's words slipped into a whisper, as he remembered trying to help his friend find his way out of the evil.

A grievance of a hum that could only belong to Master Yoda silenced the two Healers.

"Dangerous this could be. Watch him with a careful eye, we should."

Qui-gon's eyes shifted downward as he continued through the hallway toward Anakin's exam room. There he found his young padawan grinning through a black eye, and a bloody nose.

* * *

_There was a lovely chime singing in the wind, the chaotic harmony rang through the silence of a great hall. The beautiful sound was wasted on a pair of ears that listened with indifference. Two exquisite figures dressed in elegant white robes stood looking at each other with the exact same gaze._

_A thick white mane flowed down the sculpted feminine outline, braided with feathers from a beast that lived long ago. The ends of her lightly rose painted lips curved up into a charming smile, her soft facial features stolen from the Angels of Iego. The ceremonial tattoo placed on the left side of her face._

_"Xie-kuh." She revealed a voice sweeter then the honey dew._

_Xie-kun stood staring at her, his expressionless face whispered with subtle recognition. The short silky strands of snow color hair danced wildly in the gentle wind. He inhaled, the air vibrant in his stale lungs._

_"...mother."_

* * *

Xie-kuh's eyes opened as he awoke from his dream. The midnight blue was muted with in the liquid of the tank. Her voice still swept through his mind quietly. He blinked slowly, arousing himself from the daze of sleep. His eyes overlooking the room that was busy with scientist scurrying about, looking over read outs and reports. 

She called his name in whispers that echoed and grew as his eyes swept about the room, searching for the source.

'Xie-kuh!' His name thundered in the clones senses, his eyes homing in on the relentless stare fixed on him by arcane yellow eyes of the Sith Hound.

Kun sat in the middle of a walk way, between the work stations. The monstrous dog was nearly twice the size of a normal dog, the horn's growing from his head like a devil. The overly large razor sharp teeth protruding from it's relaxed mouth. Muscles bulged under it's ebony coat. Nothing detoured it's brilliant observation of Xie-kuh.

The soft musical voice of it's Master, sung in the hound's mind.

"What do you mean, abnormal brain activity?" Doctor Ritune lifted a plucked eye brow. Her emerald green eyes shocked to find Xie-kuh awake.

"I mean, it looks as if it was dreaming..." The assistant's eyes poured over the information. Ritune followed Xie-kuh's stare, to find Kun staring back just as solid. The silent communication that was taking place between them could of been plucked out of the air by a non-force user.

"That's impossible." Ritune muttered, the smallest look of jealously over coming her porcelain like face. When she looked back to Xie-kuh, those stunning blue eyes had closed again, and Kun was no where to be found.

"It can't dream..." The words escaped between the heavy shade of rouge.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Please leave comments. It's not just for an Ego boost, but so I can get your feed back.  



	9. Nine :: Dark Thoughts

**Summary:** AU-About 2 years after PTM. Obi-wan is having to deal without his Master, who is still alive, and training Anakin. 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own StarWars, I'm not getting money off of this.

**Special Thanks to:** redroseknight, and CYNICAL21 for writing such great fan fics! You guys allowed me to get my mind into gear about writing. Hopefully this will be somewhat of good quality.

" text " normal/verbal talking  
_italics_ flashbacks or dreams, depends on what is going on.  
'text' talking through a bond/force communication.

**Terms:** (perhaps unknown vocab.)  
Xie-kuh pronounced ZEYE-Ka-uh

**Notes:** I hope people are not confused between Flashbacks and dreams. Perhaps I should label them...

**

* * *

**

**Dead Ringer**

_"__Catch me as I fall  
Say you're here and it's all over now  
Speaking to the atmosphere  
No one's here and I fall into myself  
This truth drives me  
Into madness__" Whisper, Evanescence_

**CHAPTER NINE: Dark Thoughts  
**

It had been a week since he was released from the Healers Ward. He had spent much of his time in meditation trying to reconnect to the Force. But it continued to stray from his touch. It shied away from his strokes, as if he had abused it. 

Obi-wan released his frustration as he went through the ketas that had been drilled into his life. The stunning blue blade executing each stage with magnificent precision. Each foot graced the floor with a trained step that was only perfected in the years of lonely practice. He was in his own state of mind, his body on auto pilot, his mind a clean slate. He didn't notice the eyes that watched him from the view deck above the training room floor. Each step he took brushed away the aching thigh that had been broken.

He flipped through the air, barely allowing his feet to hit the cold floor before he moved on. His breathing was perfect in a way that none of it was wasted. The cool air filled his heated lungs, refreshing his body to go on. A mild sweat had broken out, trailing down his bare skin. The discoloration of the scar on his chest made him look dangerous and a formidable opponent. His tan trousers did not hinder his movements as he kicked. Rather the extra material that was loose, flowed like water with his motions, as where they would of been tucked neatly into his boots. 

The subtle notes of a wind chime was swept to his ears, it's unpredictable melody soothing as the musician, the wind, drummed on it softly. In his mind he could hear a gentle voice singing in an unknown language. It was hypnotically beautiful. He inhaled, the vague perfume of wild flowers accompanied the revitalizing breath. His actions began to change from the time honored Jedi traditions, following the chime of the melody. 

His pale blue eyes slowly closed as he moved in harmony with the alien song. Obi-wan allowed his actions to be guided by it, not thinking of the future of his next move. It was such a wondrous feeling that flowed through him. He could feel the Force trickling back to him, no longer timid to his caress. 

The viewing deck was starting to get over crowded, as Jedi from Masters to classes of initiates filled it. All eyes fixated on what could only be described as an elegant dance. Obi-wan pulled the Force close to him, wrapping himself with in its warmth. He jumped upward, using the viewing deck as a stepping stone. Aided by the Force he leapt up into the middle of the room far beyond the heads of the observing crowd, his body twisting effortlessly.

'Release me..." A warm whisper left it's trace in the Knights mind and the manifested melody faded into the corners of his memory. 

As his awareness rushed back toward him, he could hear the collective gasp of his audience. His eyes opened, blue and calm as is the sea in the serenest noon. The feeling of falling flooded his senses. He focused his attention on the awe filled gazes as he fell past them. He was spiring downward head first toward the floor below. With another twist he was able to bring his feet under him, landing divinely in a crouched position.

A deafening silence rocked everyone in the training room. Slowly Obi-wan stood up, disengaging his lightsaber. Just as the silence started to get awkward, the crowd roared to life in applause. He had become use to it, as the rumors of his training exercises rippled through the Temple. He had become accustomed to doing this late in the night, knowing only a few Jedi would be awake, and would not bother him in the training rooms.

He looked up giving the crowd a weak and manufactured smile, his eyes immediately picking out the piercing ice blue eyes of Qui-gon and his padawan. Quickly he diverted his eyes, not wanting to dwell in that mysterious emotion that he had seen in that gaze. 

Qui-gon watched his former padawan with a restrained admiration. He barely noticed his new padawan fidgeting, failing to control his patients. Obi-wan's force signature was so bright, his center such a tranquil calm. It was a peace that few Jedi would ever attain. Qui-gon's thoughts traveled back to the conversation he had listened in on earlier. The concern filled his eyes.

There was something different about Obi-wan. But he didn't know if it was newly acquired, or if it had been there. He had never really opened his eyes to look. 

"Master..." Anakin tugged on his sleeve.

"Yes, padawan?" The Master looked down at him fighting with the boredom that had consumed him.

"I'm hungry."

"Ah I nearly forgot." Qui-gon had forgotten that they had been going to the cafeteria when they were detoured by the talk of Obi-wan practicing. This was the first time he had watched his former apprentice practice. He had always been to busy with Anakin to take the time. He took one more look down at the practice floor, finding Obi-wan looking back at him. As the Knight tore his gaze away from him, Qui-gon ushered Anakin toward the door.

* * *

It had taken nearly an hour for Obi-wan to free himself from the persistent questions and comments of the crowd that had watched him. In the end he had retreated toward the Temple gardens, breathing in a sigh of relief, the natural smell of the leaves was swept to his nose, and the memory of the cold rain made him shutter.

In that time in his mind, he remembered the overwhelming darkness tugging at him to use it. And if it had not been for that light whispering to him, he might of fallen into the never ending pits of rage. During that moment of fury he had been blinded. It was such a great power. 

It made him feel invincible.

The dull throb stung his arm where he had been burned in his encounter with the Sith in his mind. His heart was racing and he didn't know why.

Confidently he pulled back the curtain of the willow branches, revealing a little green master sitting on the lush grass.

"Hmm waiting for you, I have been." Yoda looked up to him.

Obi-wan suppressed a growl. His hide out had been taken over, and his alone time would no longer be his. 

The Knight blinked harshly at the realization of his jealous thoughts. 

"The time before you will be most difficult. Please listen to what you must know..." The Master patted his stick on the patch of grass next to him and an obedient Obi-wan sat.

The young Knight pulled his knees to his chest allowing his arms to drape along the top of them.

"Tested you will be."

"Tested, Master?" Obi-wan allowed the question to roll off his tongue.

"In motion, the Future always is. The path you walk, the path the Jedi walk will lie in your choices." Old age had crept into Yoda's voice, causing it to crackle and weaken.

"Master, I don't understand."

"You will, but only in the moment." The tiny Master stood up, the soft hint of a smile graced his wrinkled features.

Obi-wan drew in a breath, his words weighing heavily on his thoughts. He knew not what to say, the confusion brewing in him. He allowed his breath to escape.

Yoda, with the aid of his cane, disappeared through the natural curtains of the tree, leaving the Knight to ponder his words.

Obi-wan's eyes traced the outlines of the leaves that sprouted from the drooping tree branches. The Jedi went to stroke the Force, wanting it's warming comfort, but it again denied him. The gentle melody of a song resounded in the distant parts of his memory and he was able to touch it. But it left him feeling cold. 

He would have to find a different place to retreat to, from now on. If he stilled wished to sooth his aching heart.

* * *

**FLASHBACK:**  
_Obi-wan sat looking at the sun, as it's radiant beauty died out to allow the night it's time on the world of Coruscant. He felt a loneliness that he knew would haunt him forever. His heart ached inside his chest. _

He had daydreamed about his Knighting since he first learned of the journey into Knighthood. He had dreamt of the ceremony, he had dreamt about his heart thudding in his chest with a joyful nervousness as he rose to meet the Jedi Code, and proved himself worthy of the name Jedi. He had dreamt about every detail.

And most of all, he had dreamt about the pride that shined from his Master's blue eyes.

He inhaled deeply, as a salty tear rolled down his cheek. He could feel the pain welling up inside his chest, and the tears he couldn't hold back anymore began to fall like rain. 

The raging spectacle of the dying sunlight glistened in his eyes as he sat outside the temple on a secluded ledge, perched like the gargoyles. The cool wind brushing against the newly appointed Knight. The sky was ablaze with orange shades.

The pain was just too real.

He watched as the tears fell from his cheeks, disappearing into the now growing darkness beneath him. His padawan braid danced lazily over his shoulder, reminding him of his final duty to enter Knighthood.

He had been Master-less during the last few months of his training. He had requested quarters for himself, which had been granted by the council, since no Master could forge a bond, a trust that would be of any help. 

He was alone in the world.

He reached up to the base of his braid, allowing his fingers to run down the interlocking locks of hair. He slowly reigned it in, the marks reminding him of lessons learned and goals he had accomplished. 

He removed the brightly colored markers of his past discarding them over the edge. 

The sorrow and the hurt graced his magnificent eyes.

He had been abandoned.

He pulled the vibroblade from it's place on the ledge beside him. Slowly he brought the blade up to the base of the padawan braid, and with one swift smooth swipe, he severed it.

He held the entwined ginger locks between his fingers, the wind unraveling the braid, slowly stealing the strands from his hand. 

The flame tipped end twisted lifelessly in the breeze. He loosened his grip, allowing his hand to open slowly. The silky tendrils slipping through his fingers, vanishing into the atmosphere of the busy world.

He placed the blade in its sheath on his utility belt, soaking the tears into his sleeve. He rose to his feet, the wind now violent around him, threatening to push him from the ledge, but he remained steady. The tears faded from his eyes, as the intense golden rays shimmered off the towers of glass, bathing everything in it's light. They blessed his face with warmth and the strength to continue for the future.

He had taken the steps into Knighthood. He had proved himself. The currents of the wind made his robes dance violently, daring not to disturb the solitude of the man who faced it.

* * *

The white leather boots barely made a sound in the blackened hallway. A slender hand reached out, commanding the Force to open the door that blocked his journey in the black abyss. 

The hatch slid open and Xie-kuh stepped inside. The room was dimly lit with the light blue from a suspension cell. Inside, as if asleep laid Ishtar Montari. The white of her robes soaking in the little light, glowing in the darkness like a beacon. Her lifeless hands gripped a long metal cylinder, neatly design with black and red curves.

Xie-kuh placed his hands on the glass top of the tank. It was cold to his touch, but it didn't matter. The golden flakes in his eyes glistened with the soft hints of emotion, something that should not of been. The deep blue held a melancholy shine. His soft breath clouded over the deep freeze inside the tank.

"Soon you will awaken, Mother. And all will be brought to their knees."

He looked over to the empty cloning tank, then back to the lifeless body.

"What is going on here? What is it that you think you are doing?" Doctor Ritune's voice demanded, jealousy soaked into every pore of her tone.

How dare Xie-kuh call that rotting piece of flesh mother. The jealously made her eyes burn a bright green. The assistant that was with her, bit her lip.

"I am doing my Master's bidding." He turned toward her, any trace of emotion that had been able to escape earlier was gone. His voice was monotone, and emotionless.

"Sidious may be your Master, but I gave you life." She hissed, her body tensing.

"He is not my Master." Xie-kuh suddenly smiled, as his eyes narrowed and focused on the Doctor. 

Ritune took a step back, bumping into her assistant who was hiding behind her. The smile startled her. It was so unnatural and cold. 

The youth extended his hand toward her, sending the Force to wrap around the woman. He closed his fist and pulled Ritune into the room so fast, she was pulled from her shoes. The frightened assistant jumped backward, closing her eyes and holding the stack of papers to her face, between her and the room. 

She heard the hatch shut and bravely she opened her eyes, finding herself alone in the dark hallway. Her heart beat at a merciless pace. 

"Doctor Ritune?" her unsettled voice echoed in the hallway. She strained her hearing to listen for a response.

A subtle patter of something walking toward her, caused her to nervously shake. The steps were to close together to be a human...

A low snarl rumbled through the hallway, causing the assistant to shriek in fear.

She took a step backward, her high heels tripping her, she crashed to the ground, her papers flying everywhere.

The massive black form of Kun appeared in the darkness, his lips pulled back revealing his over sized canines.

"Oh gods..." The assistant whispered, then screamed out in agony as Kun leapt forward pinning her to the ground.

His teeth ripped into her flesh, and her cries of pain became gargled as he clamped down on her throat and proceeded to tear her body asunder.

* * *

Obi-wan awoke from a terrifying dream, the sweat had gathered on his brow, his breathing was relentless as he tried to calm himself. 

"Force Kenobi! You scared me" Jace shouted out, as she had thrown herself to the wall of the community sleep room from his sudden awareness. She didn't even know he was in the room, he had always kept himself so tightly shielded that it was hard for her to sense his presences.

Obi-wan looked around the darkened room, breathing out a sigh of relief. It wasn't so much as a nightmare, but the feeling of someone, something terrible.

"I didn't mean to frighten you..." Obi-wan kicked the covers off his legs, swinging his feet to the floor, he looked at her, smiling softly.

Jace shuttered with glee. That smile had always made her feel like jelly and she would gladly walk off a cliff if he asked her to. He was so perfect, so exquisitely pretty.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"Staring? I'm not staring..." She said quickly, nervously removing her eyes to study her finger nails.

"And as you can see, I don't sleep nude..." He couldn't help but add that in. 

The padawan's face turned a bright red, and she could feel the heat rushing to her face.

"I, uh...I have to go do...something that I forgot to do..." She squeaked in embarrassment, and rushed out the door.

A rich laughter spilled from Obi-wan. It was such a good feeling, he wished that he could of laughed all day. Quickly however, it faded leaving the Jedi alone. 

He felt the tug at the edge of his mind. He had felt it when the council had told him of this next mission. 

They were on their way to Dathomir, that ugly world. The world had been used as a prison colony in the past, and now their descendants were trying to seek help. His lips tightened. 

He was to take Master Navari Zhu, and his padawan, Jace Priori to the world. And he was to protect them. He disliked the fact that Navari wasn't here. The healers had been sent to survey the disease that was running rampet among the children of Dathomir.

He inhaled slowly. Navari had waited to leave because the equipment that he needed wasn't ready for the trip, and so he choose to stay behind, and would arrive 3 days later. He had confidence that Obi-wan would look out for his padawan.

Obi-wan however was not as confident. Most Dathomirian's disliked Jedi. They hated any Force user, and would kill them if they had the chance. 

Fear was more like it, he thought to himself. There had been several Force users that had been sent to the place, where they took over the colony, shedding blood when ever it so pleased them.

And why shouldn't they? They were superior and superior beings should be feared.

Obi-wan shook his head. Where had that thought come from. He ran his fingers through his damp hair. 

These were not the thoughts that Jedi were suppose to have, and why did they seem to come out of the blue. These feelings, these dark feelings seemed to be popping out of no where, with no reason.

The Knight closed his eyes, grasping for the Force to pull himself into a calming meditation. But the Force eluded him.

He growled in frustration and stood up sharply. He grabbed his robe, throwing it around his shoulders carelessly and left the room.

* * *

He had failed to meditate during the trip, finding himself even growing angry at the Force for straying away from him. 

He felt as if he was loosing his mind.

They had landed on Dathomir with little problems, their host greeting them in the landing bay.

Sedriss Satal was the ruler of Dathomir. He had been a leader in the revolution to unite all the different villages, and once it was done, they placed him on the throne. He was nothing that Obi-wan had imagined.

There in-front of him, in humble robes was a graying old man, smiling and happy. The ruler's hair was thinning, barely covering his bald head. He was hunched over from what was probably a life of back breaking work.

"Welcome! Welcome Jedi! We are most pleased that you have made it to our World safely." His voice was weak and thin.

"Lord Satal." Obi-wan bowed deeply, and Jace followed the cue.

"I am Knight Obi-wan Kenobi, and this is Padawan Jace Priori. Master Healer Zhu will be arriving in a few days with the equipment." 

"I am so happy you have come. As is much of the world. Our Children have been dying, and we do not have the means in which to study it." The Elderly Ruler frowned, his sad eyes were a rich chocolate brown.

"I assure you, that we will do everything..."

White hair.

"..in our power to save them." Obi-wan had paused seeing a lock of white hair duck behind a support pillar. He held his gaze steady, his heart pounding awaiting the emotionless face of the Sith to appear.

Sedriss followed the Knights gaze toward the pillar, just as a small round face peeked out from behind it.

"Oh, you'll have to excuse my granddaughter. She is very shy." His voice happily spoke.

"Kika, come. I have Jedi friends for you to meet."

The little girl hesitated for a moment, before stepping out around the white stone pillar. 

She was breath taking. Her white hair was pulled back into braids, her little figure dressed in a beautiful red child size gown, black designs embroidered on the velvet material. Her skin looked so soft, and her little round face slightly chubby from the baby fat she still wore. 

The five year old slowly walked to grandfather, her eyes cast downward at the stone tiles.

"Kika, this is Knight Kenobi and Padawan Priori." He introduced the little girl to the Jedi.

Slowly she looked up, large golden eyes reflected the light in a dazzling display. 

Obi-wan inhaled sharply, he could see the shadow of the Sith outlined in her face.

Quickly he masked his surprise in the resemblance between the two, and quickly removed it from his thoughts. That was impossible, since they were of Dathomir, far away from the Core World.

She smiled shyly at the two Jedi, giving them a childish but graceful bow, which the two Jedi returned.

"That's better. You may go now." And before the last word left his mouth Kika was running back to the pillar of which she was first hiding behind.

Jace laughed softly, remembering that before she became a padawan she use to hide from Master Zhu in much the same way.

"Please follow me." The Dathomir Ruler turned, his old age slowing down his movements. 

Obi-wan had thought it odd that there was no guards, no security. The Palace was built from beautiful white marble and from what Obi-wan knew, was built for the Grand Marshal that oversaw the prison world.

The Palace was a stark comparison to the rest of the world. Obi-wan looked out of the windows as he passed by.

The sky was a dirty grey, and clouds were always black because there was only the filtered sunlight to shadow them. The fields of grass were a dark brown. Most of the plant life was dark brown because of the minerals they lived on. Unlike most plants in the galaxy, these did not need sunlight to live. They pulled their nutrition from a protein in the air, and the minerals from the ground.

They had over time, were able to utilize cooking methods that allowed for most of the vegetation to be eaten. And for the imported plants, they were grown in giant greenhouses, with imported soil, and sun lamps.

There was no beautiful sunsets here, only the incroaching darkness to signal the comming night.

The jurnony ended once they arrived in the private meeting hall. The hall looked cozy for its large size, beautiful red and purple throw blankets lined every chair and sofa. There were green ferns placed together in the corners of the room, making it feel more natural and welcoming.

Sedriss waited for the two Jedi to enter before closing the door. 

"As I said before, we are very glad that you have made it...we need desperly your help. Our children are dying and we do not know the cause. Not only the children, but the young adults are contracting it but it has proven not to be as deadly as it is with the younglings." He paused, tears on the brim of his old eyes.

"My daughter and her husband went out to look for a cure, but they never came back. Two weeks later, we found their chared remains deep within the forest." His voice shook with the heartache.

Obi-wan placed a hand on the man's shoulder for reassurance.

"We will get to the bottom of this. I promise." He said firmly, yet with the softness of a friend.

"I would like to walk around the village, if that is alright?" Jace looked at Sedriss trying to hide the pity in her eyes.

"Yes that will find. It will give the parents of the village hope that a cure is on it's way." He pulled his earth colored robes close to him.

"If you will excuse me, I am very tired in my old age. When you return, we have rooms waiting for you. Just ask the droid at the front of the palace, and it will show you the way." He bowed, his voice sounding more tired with each word.

* * *

Obi-wan kept Jace close to his side as they walked about the village. The spirits of it's people as grey as the ugly worlds sky. The Force made their heart ache with the suffering that fell upon the village. The Jedi felt the despair of parents loosing their children. 

The village was in mourning. The Planet was in mourning. The funeral songs sung by the priests and priestess's rose above the pillars of smoke from the bodies. They burned the bodies rather then allowing them to be placed in the above ground graves. The risk was to great of spreading this disease. They had no time to carry out their 12 days of mourning, as it is written in their faith.

The prayer songs were haunting, as the night began to encroach on the village. The soft glows of the fires that seemed to never die out illuminated the glooming darkness.

"NO! MY baby...my baby." The frantic cry of a mother stung the air. 

"No! I need more time, please don't take my baby." She grabbed at a man carrying a small body, wrapped in a blanket out of her house.

"Don't let them take our daughter! Our daughter! MY BABY!" The distraught in her voice weaken against the strong arm of her husband holding her back, to allow the undertaker to take the dead child from their house.

Jace pulled her eyes away, looking up to Obi-wan, holding back her tears. 

Obi-wan wrapped a cloaked arm around her, comforting his friends padawan.

The mother's tear filled eyes scanned the bystanders, till she saw the two cloaked strangers, her strength returning to her. She tore herself free from her husbands grasp, barreling toward the undertaker in one last desperate attempt to hold her child. The woman grabbed onto the bundle of blankets, her eyes begging the man.

"Please, let me hold her. I beg you." Her words had softened, stifling a sob, her hysteria passed.

Time stood still for a moment as the two looked at each other. The silent deliberation of the undertaker weighting the action on his heart. He swallowed hard and returned the lifeless body of the child to her. She cradled the child so gently, the tears falling on the blanket. Calmly she walked over to the Knight and the Padawan.

"Jedi...I beg of you to listen to me. This is not a sickness. This is murder, someone is murdering our children. Stealing away their souls." Her words were determined, and suddenly strong.

"I have seen it. It came from the woods, it came during the darkness, and stole her soul away." She held her child tighter, her sadness over taking her once more.

"Please stop it before it murders more." She whispered through her sobs, the strong hands of her husband squeezed her shoulders, before turning her away.

"My wife does not know what she speaks of, she is overwhelmed with grief." Her husband spoke softly to the Jedi before pushing her gently to the funeral pyres.

But Obi-wan had felt the soft whisper of the Force telling him that the woman's word spoke true. He looked out toward the darkened forest calling the Force to come to him. He was slightly surprised when it complied with his request. He pushed it out, searching the woods for the evil the woman had spoke of. But he felt nothing.

He shivered, as the Force left him cold.

* * *

They had visited the temples, and the massive Funeral pyres. The wails of grief stricken parents gave the funeral prayer songs the haunting background they had heard earlier from the village.

The Jedi had returned to the Palace. They had seen all they had wished to see. Jace had seen more. This was her first field mission in which she had seen such devastation. She had tried so hard to remain strong and calm. But the emotion over flowed once they were in the privacy of the Palace.

She had buried her face into Obi-wan's robe, crying softly as she had been overwhelmed with the emotions and the feelings through the Force. 

The visit to the village had left Obi-wan feeling disconnected to the people around him. He too had felt everything through the Force as well, but what he had felt left him wanting more. He tried to comfort the padawan the best he could.

They had retreated to their assigned rooms, both wanting to retain their calm with meditation.

The Force had seem to be normal, as he was able to call the Force to him since they had landed on Dathomir. But there was a difference in it's presence. It's light and warmth had seemed to be dulled, and then there was the odd dark thoughts that had floated around in his head. 

He walked to the control center, brining up a secured channel in which he requested to speak to Master Yoda.

"Speak to me, I hear you do." The Masters small form fizzled into shape on the control center.

"Master, I have grave feelings about this mission. I do not feel it is wise for me to stay here. Send someone else to protect Master Zhu, and his padawan."

"Why, Knight Kenobi. What makes you feel ill about this mission?" Yoda inquired about the thoughts of the Jedi.

"Master." Obi-wan drew in a breath, his heart pounding in his ears.

"I have been experiencing thoughts not becoming of a Jedi. Dark thoughts, Master. Dark feelings." Obi-wan put it all out in the open.

The little Master mused quietly about the Knight's confession.

"I do not know why I am having these dark thoughts. They are bold and evil, intruding into my mind. I feel blinded by the emotions they leave behind. As if I can not help myself. I am afraid of what I may do, Master." Obi-wan grew silent, as the realization had hit him as he spoke.

He was falling. 

* * *

**Author's Note: **Please leave comments. I was having a hard time putting this chapter together, so I'm sorry if it is a bit jumpy.  



	10. Ten :: The Bad Man

**Summary:** AU-About 2 years after PTM. Obi-wan is having to deal without his Master, who is still alive, and training Anakin. 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own StarWars, I'm not getting money off of this.

**Special Thanks to:** redroseknight, and CYNICAL21 for writing such great fan fics! You guys allowed me to get my mind into gear about writing. Hopefully this will be somewhat of good quality.

" text " normal/verbal talking  
_italics_ flashbacks or dreams, depends on what is going on.  
'text' talking through a bond/force communication.

**Terms:** (perhaps unknown vocab.)  
Xie-kuh pronounced ZEYE-Ka-uh

**Notes:** I'm going to start labeling dreams, in the mind, or Flashbacks. Thank you so much for waiting.

**

* * *

**

**Dead Ringer**

_"No more will you wander the green fields of this earth  
Your journey has ended in darkness.  
The bonds but, the spirit broken  
The Flame of Anor has left this World  
A great light, has gone out." Lothlorien - TLoR_

**CHAPTER TEN: The Bad Man  
**

The bright lights of the cloning lab seemed sharp and intruding on the eyes. The white light bathed everything in it, and the white lab coats where nearly blinding.

The sound of high heels rang through the quite but busy room as they struck the ground. Doctor Ritune strolled into the lab, Xie-kuh following close behind. 

The perfectly figured woman entered Darth Sidious chambers, the light was dim, as so the lab workers could not see in with great detail. The heavily hooded figure swung around in his chair to meet the two visitors.

"What is it?" The Dark Lord words dripped with venom and displeasure.

"I need for Xie-kuh to go to Dathomir and retrieve an item for me." Her voice demanded sharply.

Sidious looked up at her from his seat. He had always noticed a fearful ring to her voice, but no such ring accompanied it with her demand. His dark eyes looked at the woman, then flash to Xie-kuh who was staring back at him, the dim light playing with the golden tinctures in his apprentice's blue eyes. 

"What item?" He snarled, not wanting to waste time.

"An item that will give you power far beyond what anyone can imagine." Her voice became nearly seductive as she spoke about it. 

And power was seductive. The thought of attaining more then he had was enthralling. The power to crush anyone who rose up against him. Soon he would not have to hide in the darkness, for soon, very soon, everyone would know and fear him. He would rule the galaxy with an iron fist, and the blood of the Jedi would spill from the temple like a massive flood.

The thought made him crackle with laughter through his thin wrinkled lips. He stifled his celebration quickly, returning his attention back to the Scientist and his apprentice.

"Very well." Where the only words he spoke to them, before turning his back on them.

They both bowed, Xie-kuh leading the Doctor from the room. She followed him to the hanger bay in silence. 

There sat Kun at the opening of the sleek sith infiltrator. The metal gleaming in the light. The three of them entered the ship, then moved to the small lounge of the ship. Xie-kuh turned around sharply to look at the doctor.

"Sit." He commanded her, his tone flat and sharp.

She did exactly as she was told, sitting down quickly in the lounge area. The green shine in her eyes dulled as she suddenly slumped backwards, and her breath rushed out of her, and she did not inhale another.

Xie-kuh looked at the dead Doctor. He still needed her, if he was to go on as planned. But she had learned of his Masters intentions and the risk was to great. He had killed the Dr. Ritune earlier, but breathed life back into her, commanding her body, her mind like a puppet on a string.

The thought brought a smile to his perfectly pale lips. Somehow he found it amusing, that life was so easy to control. And death was even easier.

The smile soon faded, as he was only able to attain small sips of the normal emotions of life. He took his seat in the pilots chair, his fingers skipping across the controls, activiating the ship for the short flight to Dathomir.

* * *

Jace sat looking at the funeral pyres that still burned in the early morning hours. Her heart felt heavy with the suffering of others around her. She had felt so helpless without her Master.

"Padawan Priori, here you are. I've been looking for you."

Jace turned around, her soft smile graced her lips as she saw Sedriss Satal walking toward her. She had come to the village to try to find more clues to the illness, but her examinations on the children turned up nothing. 

"Knight Kenobi was looking for you." His voice cracked with a nervousness that should not of been.

"He was? Where is he?" She stood up, straightening her tunic and adjusted her braid over her shoulder.

"He went into the Forest. Come, I'll show you." He was on edge but Jace thought nothing of it.

They had been walking for an hour in the dark forest. She followed the elderly man, as he turned this way and that, leading her through the maze of trees. The darkness growing, as the thick branches of the brown trees gobbled up what filtered sunlight they could.

"How much further?" She asked, not wanting to be rude.

"Not much further. Just follow me." He said again in a hurry.

She was sure of it now. Something had unsettled the man, something was bothering him.

Jace felt the brush of something cold against her shields, the odd behavior of the ruler no longer filled her thoughts.

She didn't like it here. She cast out the Force trying to find Obi-wan, but she didn't feel him. Her lips tightened as the cold pushed against her again.

The force screamed a warning as the darkness lashed out, knocking her to the ground, her startled cry rang out in the forest air.

She got back to her feet, her lightsaber in hand. Jace turned to face her attacker, igniting her weapon. The pale green blade did little to light her surroundings. A figure rose above the padawan, the heavy black robes blending into the darkness around them. The washed out green of her saber splashed against the skull that was hiding under the heavy hood. The dark side poured from the being, the padawan tightened her grip on her hilt, the fear pounding in her ears. 

"I'm sorry lass, but know this. Your death will save hundred's of children." Sedriss's voice spoke loudly as he stepped out from behind her attacker.

* * *

It had been a long night for Obi-wan. He had saught Yoda's wisdom and advice, if not comfort for what laid ahead of him. When he was ready to sleep, it came with the restlessness of thinking someone was watching him. Perhaps someone was watching him, someone dark, deep within himself. The monster that was in every person.

He sat in the garden build in the center of the palace, the glass top magnified the filtered light that found it's way down to the surface, and provided the non native plans with glorious sunlight. 

His thoughts had been centered on over coming those dark feelings, and when he opened his eyes for the first time during his meditation, he found Sedriss grand daughter sitting across from him. Her pondering golden eyes glistened as she allowed a shy childish smile to grace her face. 

It had startled Obi-wan to find her there, as he did not feel her approaching. Perhaps he was to deep into meditation to realize that she was there.

"Hello." He allowed himself to speak for the first time that morning. 

"You are good Jedi? You've come to destroy the bad man." She asked so innocently and easily.

"Bad Man?" Obi-wan questioned, thinking perhaps she had meant the sickness that was killing the children.

"The bad man in the forest. He can do Jedi things. He makes the others fall asleep." She pulled her knees to her chest, holding them tightly.

"Do you know this bad man?" Obi-wan had remembered what the woman had told him the night before. He remembered the despair in her voice, begging him to stop it before it murdered more.

Kika just looked at him with those innocent eyes, before looking away.

"You are good Jedi?" She asked again a little quieter this time.

"Yes, and I will stop the bad man." Obi-wan reassured the little girl, his accent coming out stronger then he would of liked.

"Do you dream?" The little girl asked the Knight, her little fingers fumbling with each other as if she had something she wanted to say.

"Yes, I dream. Why?" He coaxed her.

"I dream of bad things. I dream when I am awake." She offered a little more information.

"What do you see in your dreams?" Obi-wan's heart was pounding.

"I dream of pretty towers falling. I dream of red water. I dream of bad things." She held her knees tighter.

"When did you start having these dreams?" Obi-wan questioned further. He was sure that she was having visions. Visions of the future.

"When grandpa took me to see the bad man. He made me better. He gave me pretty eyes and pretty hair." She reached up and twirled the white locks between her fingers.

"What did the bad man want in return?" He asked, his heart sinking in his chest.

"Souls." And in her innocent voice loomed the sinister reasons for the death of so many.

* * *

Jace was thrown backwards by a powerful force shove, her back crashing into a massive brown tree. She wasn't even able to get close to her attacker. A small stream of blood slipped from the corner of her mouth, as she pulled herself to stand firmly back on her feet.

Again she placed her saber in-front of her, her determination stronger then ever.

"You can not win" Her attacker hissed, the evil creeping out from behind the skull.

The padawan pushed her fear away, and advanced forward toward her opponent.

A hand reached out from the heavy cloak, the decaying flesh barely hanging on to the bone. The bright blue bolts sparked from his finger tips arching out to the young Jedi Padawan.

She caught the bolt with her light saber, allowing it to absorb the energy. A stray bolt found its way to her leg, and she slammed into the forest floor, the fallen leaves did nothing to cushion her fall. 

The pain ripped through her leg, then through her body. She screamed out, as it was the only thing she could do. She wrapped herself in the force, trying to release the pain into it. It was something she knew quite well, as being the padawan of a healer. 

But still it was overwhelming.

Jace tried to focus her thoughts as the Sith beast sent bolt after bolt into her. Her skin was on fire, every nerve ending screamed in extreme agony. She pushed past the pain searching the Force for that little strand of silver light she knew to be Obi-wan. And when she found that single perfect strand, she grabbed it with all her might.

"Your energy will be a great help to restore my flesh, little Jedi." The Sith's voice boomed with delight as he drew near her.

* * *

Obi-wan jumped to his feet, startling Kika. He had felt Jace trying to reach him, he had felt her brush up against his shields, and then he had felt her scream out and had felt the echo of pain she was in.

He had learned during the time he chatted with the youngling, that Kika was dying from a rare genetic disease. Her grandfather, Sedriss had begged her parents to allow the Witch that lived in the dark forest to heal her with his dark arts, but they would not have it.

And so he made a deal with the Sith Witch. If he cured Kika, then he would allow the Witch to collect the souls of the children to restore his power. Obi-wan balled his hand into a fist.

And now they were on the menu. He thought to himself as he raced down the halls of the palace leaving Kika in the gardens.

Sedriss had been on his way back when he saw the Jedi Knight run from the palace and into the dark forest. The old man allowed his shoulders to fall, ashamed of his actions. But too many children had died. And he cut another deal with the Witch, that if he brought him Jedi, then he would stop collecting souls.

Obi-wan had not seen Sedriss as he ran out of the palace. Perhaps it was for the best that he didn't see him. Obi-wan was unsure of what he would of done if he had seen the Ruler in that moment in time.

He cast out the Force, easily finding Jaces Force signature. He darted through the trees as the forest grew dark around him.

* * *

Jace had curled up on her side protectively, silencing her cries of pain as the Sith drew nearer to her. Her hand tightened around her lightsaber, her thumb on the activation. This would be her chance, if the Sith got in close enough. She closed her eyes tightly, swallowing her fear.

The smell of rotting flesh stung her nostrils as the Sith reached down to her, the decaying flesh tugged on her long padawan braid, then latched on to her beautiful brown hair. He pulled her upward toward him.

She could feel his hot stale breath on her face. Slowly she opened her eyes, those hazel orbs stared in fear at a face of a monster. The face that she could not see before, she now saw in great detail. 

His mouth at one time was sewn shut, the remaining threads stuck out like whiskers from around his thin festering lips. His features were covered by a human skull that was sewn to his face, and one could only imagine the grotesque deformities of his self mutilation. What was visible of his discolored eyes were sunken in and blood shot. 

Suddenly the pale green blade lit the area, and she drove it deep into the heavy black robes.

He howled in pain and reeled backward from her, his rotting hand going to cover the burning hole in his robes. 

With what strength she could muster she got to her knees, holding out the green blade defensively. Her body ached with pain she had never known before. 

She breathed in deeply for the first time, and that too was painful. 

The inhuman howls of her attacker suddenly turned mocking, as if it was in no real pain. Her heart leaped into her throat as the mocking howls turned into a deep rich laughter.

"Stupid little Jedi." He spitted. The witch threw out his hand using the force to pull her lightsaber from her fingers, and it disappeared into his cloak. 

So this is it? The question kept running through Jaces mind, the fear of the unknown over came her as she was sent another blast of Sith lightning.

"I will kill you simply for the pleasure of hearing your screams."

* * *

Obi-wan drew nearer, he could see the sith lightning through the mangle of trees. The worry flooded his mind, and as he came to the clearing he saw what he had feared.

Jace's limp form was lying against the protruding root of a tree, while a Figured dressed in heavy black robes sent wave after wave of sith lightning into her. The mincing laughter boomed through the air.

Obi-wan threw off his cloak, his lightsaber already ignited as he placed himself between Jace and her attacker.

Surprised, the witch abruptly stopped, gliding backwards over the uneven forest floor, away from the wild swipes of Obi-wan's blade. 

The silence grew as the festering lips of the witch slid into an arcane smile.

"I will tear your soul apart, Jedi." He hissed, allowing his heavy cloak to drop to the ground revealing the rotting body. Mildew grew on the decomposing flesh like a cancer. There was numerous sores festering with yellow pus. The sight was revolting but the Knight did not let it bother him. 

The Sith ignited Jaces lightsaber. The cylinder hilt felt foreign, but not unusual. It had been a long time since he had held a lightsaber, a long time since that bitch sealed him away. It was time for him to return to the land of the living, time for him to rule once more.

"You will beg me to kill you, Jedi." The stale air escaped with malice. 

"I doubt that." Obi-wan retorted as he rushed forward to engage the evil.

Deep within the forest the green and blue lightsabers clashed with expert precision. The dance was beautiful and would of awed anyone that had seen it.

The Force Witch was out of practice, but he was still able to keep up with Obi-wan. Or so he thought.

Obi-wan lunged toward the Sith, his saber stretched out in-front of him. The sith was barely able to block as Obi-wan drew closer to him, causing him to tighten his defense. With each attack and block Obi-wan tested the defenses, his strengths and his weaknesses. The knight kept his calm, his emotions out of the way.

"Look a little young to have a padawan. Her screams pleased me, as will your begging." He taunted the Knight. Obi-wan ignored the taunt, his mind focused on ending the battle.

"Oh and the children, you should hear them, you should see them tremble, the fear in their eyes as I kill them. They restored me, but not as much as a Jedi will."

The thought of the innocent children being murdered at the hands of this evil. Those bright beautiful innocent children. The fury sparked inside of him. Obi-wan tried to control it, he tried to obtain that Jedi calm, but it was too far out of reach. 

The Jedi lunged forward again, his saber flawlessly severing the Sith's hand, sending the green lightsaber to the forest floor. His other hand reached out grabbing a hold of the rot ridden throat. He shoved the Sith back, slamming him into a tree. He heard the sickening sound of bones crunching and felt the spoiled flesh oozing through his fingers.

"I'm going to make sure you die painfully" Obi-wan growled through clenched teeth. He pulled the witch forward and slammed him against the tree once more. He did it again.

And again.

It was satisfying, squeezing the life from this monster. This murderer of children. 

His grip tightened as the knight jerked the Sith around and threw him into another tree with the aid of the force.

Obi-wan's body was shaking in rage. The witch pulled himself up, a piece of skull that was attached to his face had fractured and broken off, revealing the most perfectly flawless cheek and brow of a young man.

Obi-wan was taken back by the sight. It wasn't the face he had been expecting to see. 

Suddenly the perfect skin started to bubble and blister, and the sith cried out in agonizing pain. Obi-wan watched in horror, but his eyes could not pull away. The screams turned into a maddening laughter, and the Witch straightened, extending his hand and sending the blue bolts of sith lightening toward the Knight in a last ditch effort. Obi-wan easily caught it with his light saber, and he rushed forward. His lightsaber spun wildly sending the Sith crashing into the forest floor, and missing the lower half of his body.

"Who are you?" Obi-wan kicked the Witch, rolling him over to his back.

"I have no name." He spat in agony.

Obi-wan placed his boot on his chest, his blue eyes narrowed.

"I have no name!" He cried out again. Obi-wan brought the tip of his lightsaber to the Witch's face. He inhaled deeply. The darkness was brewing inside him, the Force was screaming at him to stop, but everything in him told him yes. His weapon shook as he hesitated, his mind in turmoil.

"I can not..." He spoke in defeat, disengaging his lightsaber, his rage slowly starting to disappear as he released it into the Force.

"You are weak, Jedi." He hissed.

Obi-wan's hand shot down, grabbing onto the broken skull that was attached to the Sith's face, and without a word he ripped it free.

* * *

Navari's padawan clung to the warmth of Obi-wan's robe, the very fiber of her being torn asunder by the dark side of the force. Obi-wan gently carried her in his strong arms, his eyes straining to see the path before him.

His heart convulsed nauseatingly as Jace struggled to take her next breath, the small moans of pain haunted the air around them.

He remembered the look on the Sith's face when he ripped the mask free, and in that moment when his hand touched the all too human face, did he see.

He was just a boy. 

A boy that had been tortured, a boy that had been taught the ways of the dark side since he could walk. He saw it all at once, everything that had been the Sith's life, and it had brought him to his knees with the remorse of his actions.

"It hurts Obi..." Jace brought Obi-wan's mind back to the moment, her voice was just above a raspy whisper as it was all she could muster.

"Shh. You're going to be okay." Obi-wan spoke softly in the cool air.

"You're going to be okay." He repeated if only to comfort himself.

But he knew better.

The fiery pain and the phantom ache of the sith lightening that had coursed through her body had burned her skin, destroying her beautiful face, burning those beautiful chocolate locks of silky smooth hair.

"I wanted to become a Jedi. I wanted to make my...my Master proud." The padawan's voice squeaked as the emotion over took her, her body unable to inhale the breath she needed to sob.

"It hurts..." She whispered again.

Obi-wan cradled her in his arms, finding a place to sit upon one of the massive roots of the ugly brown trees. He reached out to the Force, calling it to him, to wrap around them and make her pain become his.

It hit him like a white hot light, the brim of his eyes over flowed with tears at how brave Jace had been. 

He held her tightly trying to warm her ever cooling body.

"he told me...He told me that Kika is a cloned body of an ancient sith." She was finding the strength to speak as the pain had left her scarred and mangled body.

"Don't talk now, save your strength."

"Ishtar, he said her name was Ishtar and they would come for Kika." She gasped for a breath to continue.

"Why? What do they want?" Obi-wan questioned, his thoughts focusing on the beautiful child.

"To revive her..."

* * *

Thick blood leaked from the missing limbs of the Witch. He pulled himself through the under brush of the forest floor, blood seeping out between his festering lips. His face blistered badly, looking more like a face of a chard body.

He could see the opening of the underground tomb, where he had taken residence in. He would at least be safe from anything that wanted to eat him, and perhaps he would find the strength to pull himself into a suspension cell, and await for some new victim to wonder across him.

As he neared the mouth of the tomb, he could see the form of a beast moving in the shadows, it's yellow eyes piercing the darkness.

The Witch froze with fear. He knew that gaze, he knew that force signature.

"Aoi." He spit the name out.

Kun padded over to the bloody decaying body of the Witch, he licked his chomps with the awaiting pleasure of making the Witches last moments agony.

The Sith started to laugh, the madness caught in his sick mind.

"Aoi, you came back. She turned you into a dog, Master's little PET." He pointed at the Sith hound with his good hand, blood choking him as he laughed.

"It is destiny, and it has no place for you." The human words came from Kun. 

Indeed, he was Aoi. He was Ishtar's Lover. He had known when she died that it was the only way for him to see it through. And so he mutated himself into the form of a Sith Hound, and guarded her tomb till that Fool, Darth Sidious came. 

"The clone isn't here, you can't revive her. You did it all for nothing." The Sith Witch rolled over on his back, pain wracked his body.

"I already know. I came here simply to kill you." The words turned into a snarl as Kun lunged forward, his teeth tearing into the Witches body.

* * *

"I wanted to make him proud."

"You did , Jace. You made Navari very proud, and I am so proud of you." He could feel the life slipping from her, her swollen eyes struggling to stay open.

"Stay with me...Stay with me, Jace." He begged her, cradling her tighter.

"I can't Obi.." The tears pooled in her hazel eyes.

"I'm scared..." She clung tighter to him, inhaling deeply once again.

"There is no emotion; there is peace." He started to recited the Jedi Code.

"There is no ignorance..." He spoke again.

"...there is knowledge." Jace forced the words from her lungs, struggling to calm her fears.

"There is no passion..." Obi-wan hugged her, trying to comfort her with the Force.

"...there is serenity." Her voice started to fade into a whisper, her body relaxing.

"There is no death..."

Silence.

"There is no de...death." His words hung in his throat, his heart sunk like a lead weight in the never ending pits of sorrow.

He had felt her release, but had not wanted to believe it.

The tears that so rarely gathered in those cobalt eyes, flowed so freely now, as he held the once lively body of the padawan.

"Jace?" His voice called out wearily, hoping to hear her cheerful voice.

The silence circled him.

"No...no.." The suffering echoed in his voice, as the thick tears hugged his face and fell silently on the forest floor.

* * *

Across the galaxy, Navari was checking his bags and the list of inventory in the apartment he shared with Jace, when he exhaled suddenly

An overwhelming grief washed over him.

He looked out the huge picture window that over the looked the night life of Coruscant, sitting down as the desolation grew. 

The stars did not seem to shine as brightly as they once did, the luster of life was gone.

And the Master Healer began to weep as the light that was his padawan flickered and faded away.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Please leave comments. Took awhile, please don't kill me. And you'll have to wait to see if Obi over comes the dark side.  



	11. Eleven :: Darkness Grows Nearer

**Summary::** AU-About 2 years after PTM. Obi-wan is having to deal without his Master, who is still alive, and training Anakin.

**Disclaimer::** I don't own StarWars, I'm not getting money off of this.

**Special Thanks to::** Thank you to all those reviews to make me feel guilty enough to keep going with this story. I am very sorry for the enormous delay between this and the last chapter. Please forgive me! I'll try to write more often I promise. Please let me know what you think so far. You guys are a big reason why I keep going.

" text " = normal/verbal talking   
_italics_ = flashbacks   
'text' = talking through a bond/force communication.

_____________________________________________________________   
**Dead Ringer**

_"How long have I been in this storm,  
So overwhelmed by the oceans shapeless form,  
Waters getting harder to tread,  
With these waves crashing over my head" - Storm, Lifehouse_

Chapter Eleven :: Darkness Grows Nearer

He had arrived too late at the palace, Kika had been taken by Xie-kun and Sedriss Satal had been murdered in the hangar bay.

Obi-wan sat motionless in the lounge of the ship, his eyes hallow as he looked over the hidden lifeless body. Several times he had pulled back the layer of cloth, burning Jace's pain in his memory. To see her this way would bring Navari to his knees.

He had failed. Failed so miserably.

For hours he had sat in the cold woods, releasing the feeling of utter agony into the force, clutching the padawan's disfigured body.

He bowed his head, bringing his hands to cuff his face. He set his jaw, trying to hold back the urge to sob like a child. His sorrow would flare into anger, then back to sorrow. It was times like this he wanted to just wish the world away and fade into nothingness.

"I hate this…." He murmured to the dead air, trying to get a grip on himself. A few more deep inhales and he would be ready to confront Navari and hand over his padawan's body for funeral rites.

Obi-wan stood up as transport landed in the Temple hangar bay, he was visibly tense. The muscles in his neck were strained still trying to mask his distress. Slowly the hatch opened to reveal most of the Jedi Council and Navari standing in the middle of them.

The Knight immediately met the Master Healer eyes, those emerald green eyes looked so painfully tired, shadowed by the golden locks of hair. Obi-wan had to look past them as he exited the ship, stopping next to Master Navari.

"I…" But the words wouldn't come. He had practiced what he was going to say, engraved it into his memory over and over. And there he stood wordless at the Master's grief.

Navari's firm hand dropped on Obi-wan's shoulder squeezing it gently.

"Thank you, for bringing her home." The Healer's soft voice seemed so steady. But it was all a front, Obi-wan knew. No one would forgive him, how could they ever forgive him. The padawan killer.

And with those thoughts like acid in his mind, Obi-wan shrugged the hand from his shoulder and walked in solitude away from the group.

* * *

Obi-wan neglected to go to Jace's Funeral, instead he locked himself in his quarters like a prisoner for a week. Refusing to see anyone that came to the door. Refusing to eat, to let himself sleep. He couldn't even step into the refresher for fear of looking at his reflection.

Asking the council over and over again for high risk missions, and every time he was denied. For the days that followed he haunted the Jedi Temple like some kind of empty phantom, ignoring anyone and avoiding everyone. Terrible thoughts echoed in the walls of his tightly guarded mind and he tried to sort through them, hiding himself away in his enclosure of plants in the Temple gardens. Did he have more to sink, was it even possible? Obi-wan pulled his knees up, resting his arms atop them and staring blankly at nothing.

There was one person that he was never able to avoid and that was Master Yoda. The little Master knew that there were no words of comfort or wisdom that would help to relieve the ever expanding void the young Knight felt. But at least he could try to mend the broken bond between friends. Master Navari pulled back the living curtain of branches, taking a seat next to his young friend, while Yoda disappeared into the background. The two of them sat in silence in the gardens.

"Stop blaming yourself, Obi-wan." The Master Healer finally broke the silence in the small sanctuary.

"Why? I was so preoccupied, I let my mind wander and because of it, she is dead." It had been the first time he had spoken in days. The thick sound of grief hung heavy in Obi-wan's voice.

"You didn't know what was out there. How could you? You were drawn into a trap..." Navari hated to see his friend like this. The Knight had gone through so many things the past couple of years, so many trials.

"I should have!" Anger flared in the Force surrounding Obi-wan, but quickly died away with the return of grief.

"She died in my arms....and I couldn't do anything."

"But you did...she was at peace when she died. You gave that to her." Navari once again placed a comforting hand on Obi-wan's shoulder, this time holding on tightly. There was desolation in those magnificent blue eyes.

"She shouldn't of died at all." Obi-wan sounded stubbornly childish, standing up and wiping a few stray tears that had escaped the brim of his eyes. He wanted to return to his apartment and dwell in the feelings of sin.

"You can't save them all..." The soft female voice he had heard whisper to him before, spoke in the place of Navari. Obi-wan spun around to face his friend, his eyes catching the faint vision of a woman with white hair and ornate white robes. The vision faded as quickly as it had appeared, the smallest hint of confusion flickering on his brow before he left his secluded hide away.

As he left, he felt the tender touch of Yoda's presents brush against the barrier of his mind, trying to find an opening to his isolation.

'STAY OUT OF MY HEAD!' It was only a thought, but it echoed loudly through the halls of the Temple. The feeling of a dark wrath accompanied the words through the Force. Obi-wan turned a wild eye to the little Jedi Master, the spark of darkness dwelt deep with in those cerulean eyes before they softened with remorse.

Obi-wan retreated back to his apartment, taking up a meditation pose in the middle of his floor. He had to purge the darkness into the Force, it was starting to suffocate his mind.

He could not fall....

He _would_ not fall.

* * *

The silence of the lab hung in the desolate reaches of space, it's crew asleep and Darth Sidious had left while Xie-kuh was fulfilling his mission.

All for the better.

Xie-kun had returned with the little girl in tow, her warm hand gently grasped at the frail fingers of the Sith, large golden eyes staring widely at the foreign objects that littered the chamber. Kun led the way through the quite lab, their foot steps the only intrusion. The trio moved as if phantoms haunting the corridors, steady in their pace to reach the secret hide-away that held the body of Ishtar.

The door slid open revealing Ishtar still peacefully at rest. Kika joyfully ran into the room, standing on her tip toes, pressing her face against the glass to peer in on the sleeping maiden in the glass coffin. She looked back to Xie-kun who had moved to a small control center, his fingers dancing along the buttons with little hesitation.

Although they did not speak, they were silently communicating through the force almost as if a natural bond had formed and Kika was elated to have someone just like her.

Kika's small hand reached out and patted Kun on the head, the innocence of her smile could even melt the coldest of hearts.

Kie-kun retreated a medical device and knelt down to speak to the little girl on a more personal level.

"This is going to sting, is that okay?" Xie-kun's beautiful voice sounded as innocent as Kika's smile.

"If it will make the pretty lady wake up." The child nodded, ignorant of the monster that laid sleeping in the glass coffin.

* * *

Obi-wan's eyes flashed opened, the dim light shrouding his figure only to be betrayed by the soft glow of his light saber in the training room.

He felt like he was loosing his mind, as visions and voices drifted in and out of the shadows that surrounded him. There was a particular vision that plagued him, always just out of his reach.

The more he tried to see the vision, the more it slipped from his sight. Slowly he asked the Force to wrap around him, loosing the surrounding of the exercise room. He allowed his mind to drift, his body stepping through the movements without his knowledge. The vision came trickling back to him, the halls of the Jedi Temple where abandoned in all their purity. The silence echoed with in the walls, deafening in their dream like appearance.

His body twisted in mid air, executing a difficult keta with the simplest of ease, the sweat dripped from his brow, ginger locks matted together.

Within the vision he saw a pair of lightsabers in the distance, beautiful in their dazzling display of perfect precise movements. They crackled together in the empty halls, his own lightsaber humming contently in his hand. Awestruck at the speed in which they moved, the beautiful green blade spinning against a relentless blue.

The vision took him closer to the battle, each step slowly followed the next. Suddenly he was thrown into the fight, the green blade clashed against his, it's wielder shrouded in shadowy cloak of black mist. Obi-wan tried to focus on the almost formless being between the brief crackle as the lightsabers smashed against each other.

Guided by only feelings, his body began to mimic those that engulfed him in the vision.

Qui-gon watched silently as his former padawan seemingly glided through the air, the smooth movements flowed like water. His heart beat tightly in his chest. Perhaps he should leave, but the nagging kick of his conscience wouldn't allow it. He had heard that Obi-wan was in emotional turmoil, he had even felt his outburst earlier that day.

The vision suddenly fled from Obi-wan's grasp, retreating from the presents of his ex-Master. It startled the Jedi Knight, his stomach knotting up tightly. Their eyes locked together for a brief moment before Qui-gon broke the ridged air.

"You appear in need of an opponent." Years living hung heavy on the Jedi Masters voice.

Obi-wan bit his lip, he wanted Qui-gon to be gone, he wanted to return to that vision that was plaguing him like a cancer. But Obi-wan politely accepted.

The spar had started out rather trivial as each tested the boundary of the renewal of friendly rivalry. A block, a feint, a half hearted attack on Qui-gon's part, not to mention the distracted and scattered attack of Obi-wan. It wasn't long until that vision began to trickle back to the Jedi Knight, teasing him with faint glimpse of that battle taking place in another time.

As Obi-wan was draw into the vision with each clash of their sabers, he once again began to mimic the struggle taking place within the unwritten future. The knight's reaction became like lightening, his attack began to gain in strength and Qui-gon was left to make every effort to defend.

The Master began plague himself with questions as Obi-wan's attack became more aggressive. The guilt that his emotional state had something to do with him, but the Master shook it from his mind. Obi-wan was a grown Jedi and would not let such trivial things get in his way.

But the look in Obi-wan eyes, the way he moved with his shoulders forward, his lips pressed together tightly. There was...would he dare he say it....anger in those eyes.

"If you only would of accepted my decisions, things would not of turned out like this." Qui-gon spoke between the crackle of blades, pausing to catch his breath.

Perhaps it was vision, perhaps it was Qui-gon's poor choice of words, but something inside Obi-wan snapped. Qui-gon was knocked backwards by an onslaught of attacks, each coming so close they singed pieces of of his clothing. In a series of miscalculated moves, the Jedi Master was left wide open and Obi-wan's blade moved in for the killing blow, a horizontal swing just above the shoulders, a move that would of decapitated Qui-gon.

Those pale blue eyes were wide in shock as the Obi-wan carried through with his swing, disengaging his lightsaber at the very moment it would of sliced through his masters flesh. The Knight's hand was steady in the follow thru, his stance in perfect form, his eyes held the gleam of bitter betrayal.

"Master..." The word felt foreign as it rolled elegantly past his lips, he straightened, facing Qui-gon. "I would of followed you to the last breath...to my last gasp with truth and loyalty." There was such pain and passion behind those words that cut Qui-gon more then any lightsaber could ever do. Obi-wan did not hesitate leaving the Master to the dimly lit training room.

The air grew thick with silence as Qui-gon sunk to his knees in solitude, unable his control the brim of tears that cascaded down his face. He was fool....an old fool.

* * *

Obi-wan sat shaking in the faint light on the night in his room, his form hunched over, cradling a broken possession. His fingers clutching it tightly and cutting into his flesh.

He had wanted to kill his former master and he was going to do it. It would have been so easy, all he had to do was carry through with the strike, how could such a thought enter his head...when did these emotion start to fester and boil over? When did this self loathing turn to anger? Why could he not swallow those emotions? Why?

Tiny droplets of blood seeped between his fingers, his grip refusing to loosen on the shattered stone as the tears streamed down his face. He refused to move, until the strain was too much and he collapsed into a night of hellish torment.

* * *

Weeks had gone by since Kika was taken and Padawan Prior died. Obi-wan stalked down the temple halls, his pace relentless and the cold blue focused and callous. The Jedi council had finally called him for a high risk mission. He wondered what had taken the decrepit lot so long. Those nasty thoughts still plagued his mind, and unrestrained emotions rolled off him in tidal waves. Obi-wan didn't even notice those faded baby-blues of his former master, who watched him in worry, since that night in the training room.

"This is not the knight I trained..." He whispered to himself as Obi-wan disappeared from view.

The Jedi Master continued on his way to the educational ward and to yet another conference with one of Anakins teachers.

As he wondered the hall, he allowed his mind to roam freely, carelessly reminiscent of the past when the mention of Obi-wans name brought his focus back. The hatch to the labs had been left open and Qui-gon used the force to aid his eavesdropping ears.

"I think I've been able to identify the alien cells that are in Knight Kenobi's body." Healer Navari spoke, his somber voice foreshadowing the results to come.

"Review and explain, if you will." Yoda riddled, knowing that his former padawan was listening to the news.

"As you know, when Kenobi was brought in after the attempt on Chancellor Palptines life, we noticed this alien matter in his system."

"Bitten by the beast, was he?"

"Yes. We believe this was in direct correlation from the animals saliva that entered Obi-wan's body through the bite on his leg."

Qui-gon felt a chill go down his spine. He had witnessed first hand the aftermath of that battle and Obi-wan's unsteady state of mind.

"You see these cells?" Navari pointed to a magnified image of the alien matter. "They seek out and attach themselves to the midichlorians in the body. After awhile they completely engulf the midichlorians. The midichlorians remained unharmed or at least that is what appeared to be happening."

"Find something, did you?"

"I did." Navari changed the image on the viewer before he continued. "I was able to breakdown a sample of the unknown cells and ran the components through the Jedi Library. I received a partial match and it appears to be some sort of Sith poision."

"Sith Piosion, made by the Sith Acolytes...but wiped out, they were..." Yoda fiddled with his walking stick.

"I looked into original cases of poisoning of Jedi and found that the poison was rather curable."

"Able to overcome the poison, most Jedi were..." Yoda felt that the conversation was going to take a turn for the worse.

"Yes...after long meditation and fortitude of the purity of the force, but this is different...This is more like a disease now." Navari paused to form his thoughts best he could. "The old sith poison only attached itself to the midclorians and the midichlorians were able to dispose of it in time. This new stuff attaches and surrounds the midichlorians acting as a filter."

Qui-gon was on the edge of waiting in silence. He entered the room and unapologetically interrupted.

"What does that mean for Obi-wan?"

Navari looked shocked at Qui-gon sudden intrusion, then looked at Yoda for approval to answer. Yoda gave a curt nod, looking to gaze at Qui-gons reaction.

The Master Healer looked at Qui-gon, his eyes full of distaste.

"It means that when Obi-wan calls the force to his aid, he will inadvertently draw on the dark side of the force. He will slowly be corrupted and the Obi we all know and love will be no more."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Please leave comments. I really want to know what you guys think. Again, I'll try not to be so long with the next chapter.


	12. Twelve :: The Abyss Beckons

**Summary::** AU-About 2 years after PTM. Obi-wan is having to deal without his Master, who is still alive, and training Anakin.

**Disclaimer::** I don't own StarWars, I'm not getting money off of this.

**Special Thanks to::** Thanks to everyone that is adding this to their alerts and favorites. It's coming along slowly, but it's coming. I am really enjoying writing this and I hope all of you are enjoying the read.

" text " = normal/verbal talking italics = flashbacks 'text' = talking through a bond/force communication.

_____________________________________________________________   
**Dead Ringer**

_"If the future is of feather and lead,  
then I am of water and fire." - Aoi No Eetaru, Ranka Lee_

Chapter Twelve :: The Abyss Beckons

A lightsaber with a white blade was perhaps one of the rarest of artifacts in the universe. The crystal that was used to focus the blade was unique in it's composition and even then, finding one stable enough to use was like looking for a needle in the proverbial hay stack.

And yet, here was one of those pure blades humming gently at the tip of his chin.

Darth Sidious was shaking with rage and a deep fear of the wielder of that magnificence saber. A maiden in the purest of white robes with the glint of murderous intent in her golden eyes.

Ishtar Montari, a Sith Marauder with an ambition that made Sidious' black heart look like that of a simple school yard bully.

"I'm sure that we can talk this out like civilized Sith...Wouldn't you agree?" Ishtar hand was the essence of steady, her voice playfully seductive in a tone that was as old as the universe.

It was a simple nod, Sidious trying his best to reclaim the anger that was over flowing in the force, as the female Sith disengaged the lightsaber. She toyed with the metal cylinder with her delicate fingers eyeing that thin repulsive line that formed Darth Sidious' lips. While it was said that anger was a Sith's best friend, that was only true if you were able to keep in control of it and she could see how Sidious struggled with it. Perhaps it was because she threw a little wrench in all his _wondrous_ plans. The thought made her smile, nostalgic of that same anger her Master would often wrestle with.

She took a rather casual seat upon Sidious desk, flaunting her womanly curves as she reached for a delicious looking apple that waited in a bowl on the other corner of the desk.

"What is it that you want?" Sidious snapped at her, discontent with waiting.

"You mean you haven't figured it out yet?" She polished the apple on her breast before taking a bite of the succulent fruit, the taste of real food exquisitely pleasurable after such a long and torturous waking slumber.

A low growl announced Sidious displeasure at the question. This was something he certainly didn't like nor was he use to such a taunting conversation. Any question of his dominance he regarded with distaste, even when he met it with a pleasant and well polished smile as Chancellor Palpatine.

"For a man with such big ambition, you would think you'd be able to tell your own ideas from someone else's..." She took another bite, the juice erupting with flavor. Sidious felt himself longing for a bite of the lush red apple, envious of her claim on _his_ apple.

"You don't even like apples." Her golden eyes said it all, even without the patronizing flavor of her voice. For a moment Darth Sidious' heart seemed to standstill before it started to drum again with increasing tempo. His wrinkly face tightened with alarm, lips drawn even thinner then before and eyes wide with dismay.

It was true, he didn't like apples and yet he had been eating them on his visits to the station. He even had a bowl of the fruit placed on his desk, never questioning his sudden appetite for them. Just how long had he been...controlled.

"Ever since you entered my tomb on Dathomir." She flashed a smile at reading his thoughts so easily and Sidious rose from his chair abruptly. His anger was about to boil over. The notion that he had been someone's pawn piece enraged the Sith Master. His gaze flew wildly to Xie-kuh who was playing quietly with Kika just on the other side of a clear wall.

"Did you really think that Doctor Ritune, even as brilliant of a Bio-Engineer she was, could really create a new life with DNA that had been so badly corrupted?" Ishtar followed his gaze to Xie-kuh admiring the beautifully ironic scenario of her engineered offspring playing with her cloned body that Kika now possessed.

"It was Aoi's stroke of genius that rattled around in that cluttered mind of hers. All to build what we had lost."

"Aoi Greah? But he died half a century after you." Sidious hissed through clenched teeth.

"Aoi was truly brilliant. He planned ahead, sacrificing his form and turned into a creature that could live indefinitely, waiting...just waiting for a greedy and curious fool like yourself." She spoke with admiration for her love.

"The Sith Hound....Kun is Aoi." Sidious felt such a fool, believing he had control over everything and yet he controlled nothing.

"Brilliant yes? So Darth Sidious..." There was a mocking tone to her voice. "Time to expand the family."

Sidious feeling trumped but not defeated sat back down in his seat, his fingers wavering over the command switch that would send out a distress call.

"That's a good boy." Ishtar laughed manically, her hands clasping together dropping the half eaten apple to the floor.

Her laughter echoed out over the lab, past the silence of dead and unmoving bodies of the slaughtered crew. The secret lab station hung in the dead of space, repeating the mayday call, laying in wait for the Jedi that would undoubtly come.

*************************************

A melodious laughtered echoed through Obi-wans attempt at quite meditation. The knight brough his hands to his face, mesaging his forehead. His thoughts were like a chaotic train wreck, ever since that night in the training room and the spar with nearly deadly consequences.

Those once young eyes, pierced through the port window of his darkened room as the grand spectacle of stars passed him by. He felt so small in this place, the universe was so big and they were so insignificant, so tiny, so hopeless. What they did in life was nothing compared to age of the nothingness around them and they would be just a brief glimmer of history that would be remember by no one at the end of time.

For the first time Obi-wan felt hopeless, without the faintest sparkle of promise. His radiate shimmer dulled a little each day and he felt he was in desperate need of polishing.

There was a brief chime at the hatch before it slid open to reveal another Jedi Knight.

"Knight Kenobi, we will be dropping out of light speed and we will reach the science outpost soon."

"Thank you..." Obi-wan answered, his voice cracking with wear, he reached up and caught the tears with his sleeve before they even had a chance to fully escape his eyes.

*************************************

There was silence. Nothing but silence filling the metal hallways, the bright lights beaming overhead disinfecting the shadows from sight. The Jedi advanced slowly, casting out the force to reveal any lifeforms that might be close by. But that too was silent. Deathly silent.

"This place should be buzzing with workers..." Knight Tulmin whispered, his hand resting on his lightsaber that hung from his belt.

Obi-wan knew he was right, a chill ran down his spine as if a cold wind had just brushed by him.

"We'll cover more of the base if we split up." Knight Dehan turned his attention down one of the corridors, the feeling of evil hanging thick in the air.

"Agreed, keep in touch. There's no telling what might be lurking about." Obi-wan sent the other two knights in opposite ways while he took the middle section.

It didn't take long for each of the Knights to find groups of slain workers. Some had wounds that had been cauterized on infliction and where no doubt delivered by a lightsaber. But others had appeared as if they had been mauled with their flesh jagged and torn, ripped from the bone. A lightsaber and something with teeth and Obi-wan knew exactly who it was. He hailed the two other knights over their communicators, demanding their full attention.

"I believe we are dealing with the same Sith that attacked Chancellor Palpatine. If I'm right there will be a beast with him, a Sith Hound. Do NOT let it bite you. Don't let it get anywhere near you." Kenobi warned them, hoping and wishing that we was wrong.

Hours felt like they had come and gone as the three Jedi Knights cautiously moved forward and still no survivors. The silence seemed to stretch on forever. It can crept up on him, a feeling, an echo of a whisper fluttering through his mind with no more force then the wings of a butterfly. Obi-wan grasped at it, like sand through his mental fingers, melting at the slightest attempt to capture it. But it returned, again and again. Each time taunting him with the sound of faint wind chimes, gently guiding him down the corridors.

Obi-wan came to a closed hatch, a sign reading 'Main Bio Laboratory - Authorized Personnel Only'. He hesitated opening the door, until the door opened by itself. He stepped into the pristinely lit bio lab, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. His muscles tightened, hand slowly reaching for his lightsaber.

In the middle of the laboratory stood Xie-kuh, like a statue of a saint in the middle of a pile of slaughtered scientist. The Jedi's eyes quickly scanned the room for the Sith hound, breathing a sigh of relief when he found no sign of the beast.

"Why are you here?" Obi-wan surprised himself when his voice shook.

"I was born here, one year ago." Xei-kuh opened his manufactured eyes, his gaze piercing right through the Jedi.

Obi-wan's brow wrinkled in confusion, until he caught the outline of a child floating in the tank behind Xie-Kuh. Long locks of white hair floated lifelessly in the liquid, a pale chubby face with golden eyes that would be forever closed. A shock went through Obi-wan, his blood ran cold, casting out the force to check Kika's vital signs unable to detect the faintist glimmer of life.

It was like a shockwave rumbled through the Jedi's body, black emotions began to bubble over the tightly kept barrier of his heart. He pulled his lightsaber from his belt, hands shaking violently, his eyes unable to tear away from Kika's lifeless body.

"Why? Why would you kill an innocent child?" The Knights voice shook as violently as his hands, trying to keep his anger under control.

"Why?" Xie-kuh looked over his shoulder at the amniotic tank that he was created in.

"Why not?" Xie-kuh's tone was devoid of moral existence. And that was what send Obi-wan over the edge.

The Jedi Knight lunged forward with speed that would of shocked anyone, but Xie-kuh's face remained emotionless. Their lightsabers crashed together, blades screaming under the pressure in which they collided. With each strike that Obi-wan failed to make, the more and more angry he became. Power was swelling through him like a tidal wave. His fighting became more chaotic, his execution of movement more powerful but sloppy.

Xie-kuh flipped away from Obi-wan and even though he had numerous burns on him, Xie-kuh showed no signs of pain. Obi-wan was starting to tire, the darkness flowing through his veins was taking it's toll on his body, racking him with pain. The Jedi tried to get control of his emotions, but it was trying to control a maelstrom.

Xie-kuh's words repeated in his mind, echoing like thunder, cracking the walls of his psyche. Those simple words acted like a catalyst , the chaos of darkness began to take over Obi-wan's mind trying to consume him in madness. Shadows swirled in his eyes, obscuring the cerulean blue with a dark abyss. The door to unlimited power was open and in one fluid side swing of his arm, Obi-wan used the aid of the force, sending Xie-kuh colliding into the steel wall. Bone's cracking under the impact, scarlet liquid cascading down the Sith's chin, staining the beautiful white robes with sin.

Xie-kuh was broken, unable to move, his form crumpling to the unforgiving cold floor. And there Obi-wan stood, on the doorstep of the darkside, awash with wickedness.

"You can stop now...the child isn't dead." There was a delicate hand that squeezed the Jedi's shoulder, firm and motherly, relaying the words that pulled Obi-wan from the darkening sea. The smell of sweet lavender filled his senses and Obi-wan laid his eyes on Ishtar Montari who stood next to him, golden eyes merciful and serene.

"She isn't...dead?" Obi-wan whispered, knowing that he couldn't be wrong. There was no life in the tank. Obi-wan hesitantly looked back at the tank finding it empty. His eyes returned to normal, the darkness fading as if it had been nothing more then a bad dream. Exhausted Obi-wan sank to his knees, shoulders rounded, the look of uncertainty creeping up on his face.

"...mother...did I do well?" Xie-kuh's longing was evident in his vanishing voice. Ishtar left the Jedi and knelt by the artificial being pushing back a mess of short white hair.

"You did well, my son. Sleep now..." Ishtar gently kissed Xie-kuh's forehead, tenderly touching his face as the spark of life slipped away. If Ishtar's heart ached, she didn't show it except in her actions as she places the apprentices hands in his lap. This was the final purpose of Xie-kuh's creation, to serve as the measure of Obi-wan's abilities. Secretly Ishtar wished he had survived, but one could not dwell on what one cannot change.

Ishtar stood turning to face Obi-wan, who seemed to be shaking uncontrollably, not with anger but with fear. Fear from what he had just done, brushing against the darkside of the force and in shame he bowed his head.

"Do not be ashamed, Jedi. Your path was chosen long ago." Ishtar approached him, stopping just shy.

"But I saw her...in the tank. She was de...dead." Obi-wan was short of just tears. What had happened?

"Xie-kuh had made a bond with you after you were bitten. He was able to manipulate what you saw. So innocent..." Ishtar glanced back at the empty shell.

"Innocent? He was a Sith..." Obi-wan corrected.

"He was what fate made him to be. Xie-kuh was just a child himself, born in this lab. He knew nothing of right and wrong. A child in a manufacture body. But Jedi on the other hand, you know all about morals. At least you think you do."

"We maintain the balance."

"What balance? The Jedi hunted down every last Sith in an attempt to cleanse the universe. If that is the Jedi's sense of balance then you are terribly misguided." Ishtar placed her hands on her hips, shifting her weight between feet.

"You try to purge yourself from the shadows, try to become one with the Force. But light and dark are equal and where one exist so too must the other. That is balance." Ishtar crouched, reaching out to take hold of Obi-wan's hands. Obi-wan raised his desolate blue eyes to meet those magnificent golden orbs, his pain and suffering melting away to memory.

"This is what you must remember..." The ancient Sith looked at him, tenderly begging him to engrave her words on his memory.

"The cycle must be broken..."

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**Author's Note: **Let me know what you think about this chapters. I find it amusing to see where you guys think this is going to go. I also ended up changing this chapter a few times....well I completely changed it. I hope it was for the better.


	13. Thirteen :: Instigated Plan

**Summary::** AU-About 2 years after PTM. Obi-wan is having to deal without his Master, who is still alive, and training Anakin.

**Disclaimer::** I don't own StarWars, I'm not getting money off of this.

**Special Thanks to::** Thanks to everyone that is adding this to their alerts and favorites. It's coming along slowly, but it's coming. I am really enjoying writing this and I hope all of you are enjoying the read. Your the reason I keep going!

" text " = normal/verbal talking

italics = flashbacks/dream/vision

'text' = talking through a bond/force communication.

* * *

**Dead Ringer**

_"I don't want to be the one  
Who battles always choose  
Cuz inside I realize  
That I'm the one confused." - Breaking The Habit - Linkin Park_

Chapter Thirteen :: Instigated Plan

Obi-wan sat in the darkness of the cabin, firmly perched on bed. His breathing was frayed, almost as if he could not control at which rate the air left his lungs. They had managed to rescue a single survivor from the lab, a single soul out of the countless that lived and worked at the station. Those blue eyes pierced through the darkness at the face of a sleeping child, white tendrils of hair laid like snow around her face. Kika was alive, safe without a single scratch, just as the Sith had promised.

The Sith. The thought kept rumbling about in his head like echoing thunder. He had felt so overcome by peace when she had gripped his shoulder. Obi-wan could not remove his eyes from Kika little form under the blankets, his hands mashing together, knuckles white as he remembered the pain and rage from seeing the illusion of her dead in the tank. He could feel the tears swelling in his eyes, the lump in his throat, growing tighter as he tried to stop those feelings from washing over him. The guilt of his actions, the sorrow of Jace's death, the relief of finding Kika..they all all swirled like a whirlpool in an ocean of emotion. How pitiful for a Jedi...

He had wanted to hurt Xie-kuh...wanted to hurt him so badly. He wanted him to feel the pain...

Obi-wan sucked in the air feeling as if he was suffocating. He began to sob, this time free of the silence, clutching the child's tiny hand.

An hour morphed into twelve and the exhausted Jedi carried Kika from the hangar bay, once they returned to the Jedi Temple. He walked in silence to the Healers Ward, the sleeping child peacefully nestled in his arms. His eyes were puffy and red, his face bleached of color, his legs moved forward on their own accord, his mind too tired to speak or even acknowledge the healers as he placed Kika gently down on a bed. With great care he pushed her hair out of her face, reluctant to take a step back, afraid to leave.

"Do you always come back looking like hell?" There was a strong grasp on his shoulder, as Navari smiled at the Knight. Obi-wan turned his head slightly, but never removed his eyes from Kika.

"You did well, Obi-wan." The Master Healer gave Obi-wan's shoulder another squeeze in reassurance. Obi-wan looked at Navari, weary of the fact of what had really taken place. Navari could see disconnected thoughts in the Jedi, he had never seen the Knight so...lost. Obi-wan shook his head ever so slightly in response.

"I have done wrong..." The knights voice was frail, hinting at his exhausted state. Navari winced at the Knights statement.

_The cycle must be broken..._

Ishtar's words echoed in the back of his mind, swirling around, never quite straying far in his memories. He could still hear her voice as if she was standing in the room. The Jedi swayed for a moment, drained physically and emotionally, he was about to collapse from fatigue.

"The child appears to be okay, just under the influence of a powerful force suggestion. She should wake up on her own." One of the other healers reported to Navari.

"Good, now if your satisfied that the girl is safe, I need to take a look at you." Navari kept his hand firm on Obi-wan's shoulder.

"I'm fine." Obi-wan answered in his usual fashion, as he began to sink slowly, his legs no longer able to bare his weight.

"Ahh..sure you are." The Master Healer was there to keep the Knight on his feet, pulling his arm over his shoulders to keep him afloat. With the help of another healer they managed to get Obi-wan into an empty room, removing the layers of traditional garb and placing the Jedi between the cool pristine sheets. His body sank into the bed grateful to finally be at rest, but he wasn't about to give up the fight.

"Listen, I need to get another blood sample from you...to make sure everything is returning to normal..." Master Navari readied his tools, walking around the small room. Obi-wan stubbornly watched him with one eye open, as it was all he could muster.

"Did you ever find out what it was?"

"I did. Poison. A Sith Poison to be exact." Navari began to prep Obi-wan's arm, looking for the veins he knew all too well.

"It will reek havoc on you for awhile, since it effects midclorians, but it should die off after awhile." The Healer continued, filling up the first vial of blood.

"Havoc? like?" Obi-wan was starting to drift off into sleep.

"Emotionally. You might not be in control as you're use too. Prone to outburst, anger..." He did his best to try to speak professionally about the symptoms, even though Sith poison had not been seen in centuries.

"Thank you." Obi-wan mumbled to Navari, his eyelids closed, unable to keep himself awake any longer.

"Your welcome, Friend." Navari replied to the sleeping Jedi, cleaning up and bandaging the small hole left from taking the blood samples. The Master Healer pulled back the sheets to examine the Knights bite wound. The wound had healed for the most part, there was an odd discoloration of the veins that stretched out like cracks in glass. Navari was chewing on his bottom lip as he left Obi-wan to sleep. He didn't like the looks of it, not one bit.

* * *

_Obi-wan's squinted his lovely saxe-blue eyes within his new surroundings. It was bright here, so very bright. Obi-wan stood in the middle of a placid sea, like a mirror reflecting the blue sky above. Clouds floated by without a care in the world, a warm breeze whispered and sang to him like a mothers lullaby. He had never seen such a peaceful dream..._

_The silence was interrupted by the giggling echo of a child. The Knight whirled around to see Kika running away, a flurry of butterflies fluttering around the child as she chased them, her bare feet running on top of the still water, leaving no wake, no ripple, as if she running on the sky itself._

_"Wait!" Obi-wan shouted as he gave pursuit, his feet splashing in the shallow water as he tried to reach her. Mist began to roll in between the two skies and Kika disappeared into the foggy vale. Obi-wan entered, the mist swirled about him, trying to get him to lose his way, but still he pressed on, following the faint laughter and shrouded glimpses of butterfly wings._

_The mist began to thin in this vast sea of sky, until soft shadows began to form, endless waterfalls silently fell upon white ruins in the secluded area. Golden light fractured into it's separate colors, creating rainbows that gently danced on the ever moving misty clouds._

_Soft green moss clung to the rocks, while honeysuckle vines draped the magnificent heavy stones of the surrounding cliffs. And there hovering just above the collection of water was the sith, Ishtar Montari. The very picture of a tranquil angel._

_Her white robes woven of silk and satin, white hair flowed over her shoulders like rare silver threads, her golden eyes fixed on the Jedi who had entered the sanctuary._

_Obi-wan froze like a deer in the morning light, aware of the danger and yet captivated by the surreal beauty._

_"Where is Kika?" Obi-wan's voice shattered the silence, cracking the calm._

_"Dreaming..." Ishtar replied with startling softness._

_"Where are we?" The knight questioned, confused by the ironic serenity that engulfed them._

_The Sith descended from her hover, her naked feet graced the water, causing the slightest of ripples. The mist began to roll back in a might updraft, lifting the veil and exposing the mystery of their environment._

_Obi-wan stood in astonishment at the foot of the Jedi Temple that laid in ruins, water cascading down it's white walls. Trees grew from various heights and fracture lines, a thicket of vines scaled the broken structure. In the distance laid the rest of Coursaunt's ruined skyline, transformed into a forest of unnatural beauty. Birds soared in the skies in place of the transports._

_The Jedi Knight surveyed the surroundings, the tranquillity soaked through him, saturating his heart and mind. And for the first time in along time, he felt the weight that bared down on his shoulder for these past years - lighten and fade away. He found himself filling his lungs as if he had not taken a breath in quite some times. The sweet air permeated, replacing the stale air he had grown accustomed to._

_It truly was a beautiful peace._

_As if on cue Kika laughter echoed against the white cliffs as the girl went frolicking by, a mix of colorful butterflies accompanying her every movement._

_"This is her dream...her vision...her future..." The Sith smiled with such gentle lips at the worry free play of a child._

_"The future...how is that possible?" Obi-wan questioned, a hesitant breeze brushing against his skin, rippling the leaves of the gnarled old trees near by, wind chimes clattered their music in the distance._

_"By the will of the force. By the will of you and I." Ishtars voice sounded eerily sweet and yet with sinister implications._

_"This is not my will. This is not what I want." Obi-wan retorted at the scale of destruction and renewal before him._

_"We are mere pawns, to be moved, to be placed and used. This is the will of the force..."_

_"I..." Obi-wan stammered, unable to answer._

_"It was your very own actions that set this future in motion, by your sheer will you changed fate. And there are consequences for such actions." The Sith remained in her spot, her arms held by her side, white hair danced in the light wind, voice mono-toned and without emotion._

_Obi-wan stood speechless. His actions? They had been selfish actions, he wanted to only save his master. It had consumed him in the months leading up to the actual event. So obsessed with it, he practiced the moves before the battle even took place. Replaying it over and over in his head, wondering what to change, memorizing every little detail. In the end, Obi-wan didn't play the hero, but the victim. He had somehow managed to swap places with Qui-gon in those final moments, taking a deep slash across his chest, but he had mortally wounded the Sith, however it was Master Jinn that had struck the killing blow._

_Qui-gon had lectured Obi-wan continuously after that, about how poor his judgement was taking on a Sith by himself. Qui-gon never mentioned that he was happy that Obi-wan was going to be okay, not once, never asked how he was feeling. They stirred deep emotions that Obi-wan had harbored for so long, but had locked them away in the darkest spot of his heart. The hurt had never felt, it had never festered either...until now...and it was this Sith's fault...for poisoning him..._

_Thoughts were colliding in Obi-wan's head. In the vision dark cloud began to brew in the pristine sky, the wind picked up, whipping at the vegetation wildly, howling in anger._

_"This is your fault...You poisoned me..." Obi-wan shouted with fury._

_"You will find yourself here, when you are ready to listen." Ishtar looked a little disappointed as her form burst into butterflies that were cast about on the strong currents._

_"Come back HERE!" The Jedi raging screams echoed through the force._

* * *

Obi-wan woke from his sleep in the darkened room in the healers ward. His cheeks stained with old tears, outside the world zipped by too busy to rest, to preoccupied, squeezing every moment, strangling every drop of time.

The serenity of the ruin world left him feeling desolate. The Siths words haunted him, his fingers trailing the distinguishing scar on his chest.

In that same healers ward a few halls over, Master Navari sleepily laid his head in his hand, the soft glow of data screens, illuminating his dark office. It had been a long day and even a longer months. He had the most talented healers looking at the effects of the sith poison, but to no avail. If only his padawan was there, he was sure she could think of something, something brilliantly simple.

The Master Jedi inhaled, letting out a slow and steady sigh. Ever since Jace had died things had not been the same. There was no one to share interesting trivia with, no one pestering him with silly questions about gossip. He still on occasion reached out through the bond they shared calling her name, only to have the deathly silence answer him.

He missed the late work nights when his padawan would fall asleep on the plush tan sofa in his office. He missed her brilliantly wired mind. He missed her greatly.

the soft beep of a message alerted his wondering mind. Obi-wans new test results had finished in the lab. The Master healer rubbed his eyes before opening the file on his data-pad.

At first the results blurred together in his overworked mind, but then they became cleared as Navari re-read the results, and then again in disbelief. The poison wasn't dissipating, in-fact it was spreading, but it was something else that had caught his eyes.

"That's not possible..." He whispered as if not to wake the ghost of his sleeping padawan.

"His midiclorian count has..." Navari trailed off in through as he abruptly stood up, finding fresh energy, determined to re-run the test. He had to sure of the test results before he proceeded...there had to be a mistake...

* * *

**Author's Note: **Oh how fun it is to toy with plots and characters. Don't worry this will NOT turn into a Mary Sue thing. Believe me, I'm a professional. XD!!! The part in the italics in the middle is a vision/dream communications, in case you were confused.


	14. Fourteen :: Listen

**Summary::** AU-About 2 years after PTM. Obi-wan is having to deal without his Master, who is still alive, and training Anakin.

**Disclaimer::** I don't own StarWars, I'm not getting money off of this.

**Special Thanks to::** I really do appreciate the reviews and all of you that have not given up on me. I've been horribly busy and have had little time to work on personal projects. But like I said, I will keep updating this story. I'm just a little slow.

" text " = normal/verbal talking italics = flashbacks/memory/dream/vision 'text' = talking through a bond/force communication.

* * *

**Dead Ringer**

_"Excuse the wall, I put it up from time to time_

_A silver shade, and the design is all mine_

_It's just a maze that everyday I seem to be stuck in_

_It never seems to fade away but I pray for the day it ends" - Better Version - Shinedown_

Chapter Fourteen :: Listen

He had meditated on what Ishtar had said, unsure why he even was dwelling on their conversation. Why should he trust what she had to say...

The last few days had been extremely uneventful. Between the poking and prodding of the Healers, Obi-wan filled it researching Ishtar Montari and the likes. There was not much in the library's database, which he accessed from the datapad in the healers ward. He had to know about her and what she wanted. And why him. He had sent a special request to investigate further into the ancient Sith.

"Why does this Sith interest you so?"

Obi-wan jerked his head up from the datapad so fast it made him dizzy. Navari had been sitting in the chair in the corner for sometime, while Obi-wan was lost writing a new request to the council. The healer was tapping a thin datapad between fingers, with a slightly amused look on his face.

The Knight looked back down to the datapad before placing it off to the side. He had filed a full report with the council about what happened at the Lab Space Station. Well, he had left a few things out. Mainly the conversation between him and her, and a few details on how Xie-kuh was killed. He also had not chosen to mention the vision he had when he finally did rest.

"I don't know, honestly. She's...different." It wasn't exactly what Obi-wan wanted to say.

"Oh." It was a rather meek reply to a rather meek answer. Navari was wondering how the Jedi was going to take the news, perhaps he knew Obi-wan would feel better. Perhaps more in control. He wondered how the Knight was even able to keep focus with everything that had happened to him of late.

Emerald eyes stared at the datapad which held the Knights results. The Master Healer had worked almost non-stop verifying the results and now he was just waiting for Yoda, so that they could speak to Obi-wan about the matter. He wanted to rub the findings in a certain Master Jedi's face. Qui-gon. If only he knew that Obi-wan's midiclorian count was rivaling that of Anakins. The thought left a satisfied grin on the Healer's face.

"What's so amusing?" Obi-wan inquired about Navari's smug look.

"Oh..nothing." The grin grew wider.

"Keep you waiting, I did." The rough trollish voice piped up as Master Yoda hobbled into the room.

"Ah Master Yoda, thank you for joining us." Navari bowed his head in respect.

"Told him, have you? Of his condition?"

"My condition? You mean the Sith Poison?" Obi-wan quirked an eyebrow, glancing between the two of them.

"Yes. But there is something else. Something quite remarkable." Navari looked at his datapad.

"Good News?" Obi-wan was ready for some good news in his life.

"Well it depends. Unfortunately the Sith poison is still spreading through out your system, but it appears as if your midiclorians are fighting back. In fact your Midiclorian count has increased….substantially."

"But that's impossible, isn't it?" Obi-wan questioned, the look of confusion on his face.

"Impossible, it is not. Surrounds us, enfolds us. A special purpose, it has for you." Yoda nodded humbly. The little master could only hope that the purpose the Force had for this was in favor of the Jedi, but it was denying the Jedi Master his usual glimpses into the future.

"So what do I do?" The Knight ran his fingers through his messy hair.

"My best advice is to rest, meditate and train. You'll have to learn to balance your new potential. But don't over do it." Navari smiled, knowing that Obi-wan would probably rest only when he was rendered unconscious. Kenobi nodded in mandatory agreement. There was so much that was plaguing his mind, rest would be a little bit harder to do.

"Speak to Kenobi alone, I require." Master Yoda climbed up into a chair next to the bed.

"As you wish, Master." Navari politely bowed out of the conversation and retreated back to making his rounds.

Yoda turned his attention to Obi-wan, his facial expression a green wrinkle of concern.

"An interest in this Sith, Ishtar Montari. Requested more information about her, you have. But for what reason?"

Obi-wan felt himself go cold with dread about the question. For a moment he thought, knowing the hesitation would perhaps strengthen the suspicion of his untruthfulness.

"Visions have been plaguing me. With her. I thought perhaps it was of the past, but upon coming face to face with her I'm not so sure." He swallowed hard waiting as Yoda's ears pulled back, attentive to the half-truth. "I just need to know, Master. I need to know." He tried to keep the desperation out of his voice.

The little green Master, turned his eyes to the floor, composing his thoughts and final judgment. Ever since the battle on Naboo, the future had been shrouded in mist, unclear and vague. Yoda contemplated with a hum, before pulling a holocron from his robes. He returned his somber gaze to Obi-wan, offering the holocron to the Knight.

Obi-wan took the six sided cube, his eyes trailing over the beautiful details of the box. "I don't understand..." Obi-wan looked back to Yoda, only to find the Master Jedi gone from his seat and on his way out of the room.

"You will." Yoda spoke, never looking back and leaving the healers ward. Obi-wan looked back at the holocron with an undeniable foreboding at viewings it's contents.

* * *

Another week rolled by before Obi-wan had been released from the healers ward. And a week after that Obi-wan had finally been able to creep from the solitude of his apartment.

Those saxe-blue eyes stared at the children, one in particular. Shy and reserved, her golden eyes bright as the suns on tattooween. He wasn't sure if Kika had any playmates back on Dathomer, although it was pretty safe to assume that she hadn't. Given the past history of her dying body and Sedriss had kept her locked in that palace while that Sith Witch had his way with the locals.

Obi-wan cupped his head in his hands, that feeling of guilty pleasure from his actions from that night that felt so long ago. One memory lead to another in a link of vivid flashes of the past. A whirlwind of emotion rolled over him, his decreasingly somber mood seem to suck the color from the room, until small hands warmly embraced his own. And with a gentle tug, Obi-wan let his hands obediently peeled away from his face, to be met by those wonderful golden eyes.

Kika offered the Knight a timid smile still gripping his fingers. He could feel the warmth of her happiness vibrate through the force, reaching out to him in an attempt to brighten his mood. At first, Obi-wan offered a reserved smile, but her contagious good mood finally won out over the stoic Knight causing his smile to widen freely. He had to wonder if it had really been her in the vision, playing among the broken and shattered world.

With a cute wrinkle of her nose, a quick nod and laughter in her eyes, she dashed back to the other children with a sense of confidence that she had at least one friend in Obi-wan. The Knight could feel that cold begin to sink back in, hiding just beneath his skin. His thoughts had no time to return to brooding as Xanterra, one of the Youngling Teachers joined Kenobi on the bench.

"Usually the older children have a hard time understanding why they've been brought here, but Kika seems to be adapting to life here quite well." Xanterra adjusted her reading spectacles, smiling with robust pride.

"I'm glad to hear. She's been through more then her fair share. Her grandfather was murdered when she was kidnapped and she had no where else to go. " Obi-wan couldn't tear his eyes away from Kika as she played with the other children. He couldn't help but see a child like Ishtar in her actions.

"She's very gifted, she displays an extraordinary amount of force control for such a young age. She'll make a fine Jedi one day." The elderly woman mused. Obi-wan stood abruptly, startling Xanterra. The sudden feeling of disgust washed over him and he stalked from the ward, a pair of golden eyes watching him as he left.

As he entered the hallway he had already felt the regret from his brash attitude, but he couldn't help it. He knew the Council had no plans of allowing Kika to become a Jedi, he had over heard it in their mental whispering to each other. For now they only cared that Kika's body was that of a cloned sith, caring not for the innocent and sweet child that was using it as a vessel. And even if she was allowed to be a Jedi, there would always be that underlying suspicion that maybe, just maybe she would turn out as rotten as the donor.

Kenobi slowed his pace. He questioned that last thought echoing in his mind. That woman might be a Sith, but rotten? He mulled over the word. She certainly didn't seem like the evil Sith he was taught about in his studies. She was nothing like the Sith he face on Naboo, that was for sure.

His fingers ruffled his ginger spikes with frustration. The endless questions were maddening as the ride on the lift slowed to a stop, the doors sliding open, revealing Qui-gon. The Master felt his heart jump in his chest, frozen in uncertainty with facing his former student.

Those steel blue eyes stared at Obi-wan, who hadn't seemed to noticed his former master standing there. And with the timidness of a rabbit, Qui-gon stepped on to the lift with Obi-wan. The Master felt awkward in the silence that ensued in a lift that seemed to be going slower then usual. His arms were folded across his chest, while Obi-wan's twisted with agitated concern. The Knights lips released uneasy whispers as he was lost with in his haunted and shielded mind. He had no idea that Qui-gon was watching him with an almost parental heart.

The Jedi Master understood that there was poison coursing through his former students veins, perhaps if Qui-gon reached out to him…he could help heal the wound he had caused. To keep Obi-wan from being swallowed by the dark side, like Xanatos. It was evident that the Knight was having problems controlling the maelstrom of emotions.

In the shadow of the Masters mind, he searched for the bond that was once so bold and bright in the silence. When he finally found it, the once mighty silver rope that linked them was tarnished and dull, resting on the dusty floor of his conscience. Qui-gon began to follow it in the long dark forgotten void.

There was dread, he knew that their bond had been cut so long ago, but still there was hope. As he followed it, his heart sank with each frayed piece, curled on the floor, withered and dead. Until he was left with a single twine that disappeared into the black abyss. With his discovery, Qui-gon's heart rippled with apprehension and hesitation.

The elevator came to a stop and Obi-wan began to disembark the lift. Qui-gon in a desperate effort, seized the tattered and worn strand, only to release it; a primeval scream ripping the mental silence open, hellfire raging in the blackness.

He called Obi-wan's name out loud, only to have the lift doors slide shut. Qui-gon pressed his back against the wall of the lift, the look of alarm caught in his ice blue eyes.

What was becoming of his estranged padawan? The Master closed his eyes, the grief etching itself into his stoic face, feeling his heartache, his guilt, his failure.

Obi-wan had stopped in the hall, a ghost brushing up against his blazingly raw mind. He cast a glance over his shoulder, eyes meeting the shut doors of the lift. His lips tightened into a frown, he felt like he was going mad.

The Knight returned to his apartment, eager for the shelter of his personal prison cell. Content inside the solid walls. Like his life, his living quarters had become messy with his few valued belongings. On his desk was the holocron that Master Yoda had given him, next to mounds of old written documents.

He waived his hand at the Holocron as he disappeared into the refresher, it's contents began to play, floating in the air like phantoms of history. For the past two weeks he had watched it almost constantly, forwards, backwards and every way in-between. It had become an obsession, Ishtar's words haunting him. Meditation did nothing to help, as he was plagued by that same blurry and chaotic vision of a pair of lightsabers dueling it out in the mist of the temple walls.

As he remerged from the bathroom shirtless, Obi-wan discarded his robes and tunic on the bed, rubbing his eyes, mentally burnt out. There was an ache creeping up his back and side, in the form of black poisonous veins. Fingers ran over the living black scars in disgust at what was happening with his own body. It had expanded from his thigh up his side and began to cultivate his midsection.

Obi-wan picked up the holocron and placed it in front of him as he sat down in the middle of his quarters, eyes glued to the events recorded. It was a simple image recording, showing the Siths; Ishtar Montari and Lahanna, her Zabrak Master fighting their way through the ancient Jedi Temple. Their figures dancing gracefully across the signature pale blue hologram in battle, butchering anyone who stood in their way.

He watched as the pair entered the historic Jedi Council room, their goal to decimate the Jedi hierarchy. What should of been a long drawn out battle of expert warriors was over in a measly 5 minutes, the murdered Council members sprawled lifelessly at the feet of the Sith.

But what happened next had taken him by surprise the first time he had seen it. A few moments after they had slain the Jedi council, the two Sith congratulated each other on a job well done, but the moment Master Lahanna turned her back, Ishtar ran her blades through the Zabrak's back, killing her master without hesitation. He could see the Sith Apprintance mouth move but the audio never recorded what Ishtar had said. Perhaps it had been a whisper in the moment of betrayal, but what ever it was, Obi wasn't able to make a guess as to what it was.

He watched a few more times, sitting cross legged on the floor. Those questions that had plagued him in the lift only bothered him more as he sat in the silence of his living quarters. Something was coming in the silence and it felt as if time was ticking away.

Wanting to clear his mind he closed his eyes, taking in the stale air and releasing it in a heavy sigh. He wasn't sure how long he had been meditating before the vision he had in the training room began to play out again. It always started the same way.

* * *

_The Knight was standing in the mighty pristine halls of the Temple as the mist rolled in around him. It was starting to become frustrating, not being able to see clearly the mysterious events of this vision._

_Again the hums of the dueling lightsabers crackled through the air, and again Obi-wan wasn't able to see their handlers. His eyes focused as he struggled to see through the dense haze that engulfed him. But it was of no use. In anger he swiped at the fog and at the vision that was starting to grow like a cancer. _

_"Why can't I see them?" He spoke softly in solitude._

_"The players have yet to be written." The disembodied voice of Ishtar reverberated in a whisper._

_Obi-wan turned ridged when she answered, tossing his eyes back and forth in trepidation. He caught sight of the white flowing robes, like phantoms through the mist filled hallways. A cold shiver sparked through him as he chased the white glimpses and incorporeal whispering through the temple corridors. He tried desperately to keep up with her, finding himself growing frustrated at this game of hide and seek. _

_"...open your eyes…" Her floating voice whispered in his ears._

_"I don't understand." Obi-wan replied, the air thick with confusion. Did she mean for him to open his eyes and leave the vision?_

_"…listen….breath….clear the mind." She gently commanded him again. _

_The Jedi Knight wrinkled his brow, straining his ears to listen through the silence. The chime of distant sounds fluttered through the air, as if they called to him from a dream within the vision. Obi-wan took a breath, that sweet smell of jasmine and lavender rippled through his lungs. He cleared his mind and a warm breeze washed over him. _

_"Open. Your. Eyes." _

_Obi-wan obeyed, expecting to see his darkened apartment. But when he did open his eyes, he found the blaring light from that bright and broken world molesting his eyes. He had returned to the ruined __Coursaunt,__ the lush urban forest, the brilliant displays of fractured light dancing on the cascading water falls from the destroyed Jedi Temple._

_"Are you ready to listen?" Ishtar asked standing in front of him with those lustrous white robes and radiant golden eyes._

_The Knight stood firm as he pulled himself through the apprehension of panic. He had to find the answers to the questions plaguing him. He had to make a choice. Obi-wan inhaled again, the fragrant air calming the tension as he stepped forward._

_"I am ready to listen."_

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry if this chapter seems to be a bit jumpy with description. I was having a hard time getting my thoughts together on this. You won't want to miss the next chapter! And I'll try to get it up before the end of the year.


	15. Fifteen :: The Oncoming Storm

**Summary::** AU-About 2 years after PTM. Obi-wan is having to deal without his Master, who is still alive, and training Anakin.

**Disclaimer::** I don't own StarWars, I'm not getting money off of this.

**Special Thanks to::** Thanks for waiting! There are not many chapters left in this story. And if it is well received I shall write a sequel. =)

" text " = normal/verbal talking  
italics = flashbacks/memory/dream/vision  
'text' = talking through a bond/force communication.

* * *

**Dead Ringer**

_"Like a young bird discovers the dawn's light,  
__My awareness is shown  
__The sleeping world does not know yet  
__Of the signs of my fast beating heart" - Obelisk - May'n_

Chapter Fifteen :: The Oncoming Storm

_"You cannot stop the oncoming storm." The Sith woman warned the Jedi. There was alarm in those blue eyes, the comprehension of what she had told him set a shock of fear through his body. _

_"The convergence is growing near. The time is coming when you must make a choice." Ishtar urged him inside the visionary world. She had explained that since he had changed such a pivotal point in time, the future that unfolded would be a direct result of his actions. Everything hinged on a single point in time when he had the power to change destiny, to choose a path that would ripple out across the rest of existence. _

_"How will I know?" Obi-wan asked as the image of the vision began to crack. Like falling shards of mirror, large pieces of the scenery shattered, tumbling from the sky in complete silence. _

_"Know this, Jedi. Suffering, pain, and destruction await in either path that you choose." Ishtar's soft voice echoed like a distance thunder as her form too, began to fracture and fall apart in the chaotic silence. _

* * *

Darkness lifted from a pair of golden eyes, bright and serene. Darth Sidious sneered inwardly at the youthfulness Ishtar had managed to capture. The dark side had taken it's toll on his physical appearance, making him look at times; decrepit. Although he usually did not pride himself on appearance, there was that jealousy that stirred within him. The dark lord waited in silence as Ishtar stood, straightening out her white flowing robes and adjusting the ornaments in her silky white hair.

"The stage has been set." She broke the silence that was starting to annoy Sidious.

"Will he join us?" Sidious snapped with a reserve impatiens. He had never intended on taking the Jedi Knight as a pupil, he had simply wanted him out of the way at first. A sweet and slow revenge as punishment for his interference.

But Ishtar's arrival had thrown a wrench in his plans, but they were not undone. Not yet. If there was one thing that Darth Sidious had it was the ability to scheme with flawless maneuver. He would use her for as long as he deemed her useful, or until he acquired the powerful apprentice that she had promised him.

"Only time will tell." Ishtar turned to look at the Sith Master,

"And if he doesn't?" He questioned with acidic irritation.

"Then I shall serve you, until I am replaced." The ancient Sith warrior bowed humbly before Darth Sidious. the curve of a smile swept across her face. The Dark Lord grinned with corruption. Pawns were so easily moved.

* * *

Light broke the rim of the horizon of the rousing world of Stewjon. The vibrant dawn broke the darkness with ever changing hues of gold and reds. Obi-wan stood motionless, eyes reflecting the lives of those who called this grass planet home. Weeks had gone by since he had spoken to Ishtar through the vision. The weight on his shoulders felt like it was going to crush him, that bitter vise around his heart threatening to force the emotions upward until they broke their way free.

But Obi-wan would have none of that now. Emotion was not something that would help him decide which path he should take. Even then, logic wasn't helping him much either. There was so many possibilities clashing in debate in his mind. He let his eyes turn upward towards the universe hidden by the awakening blue sky. So many lives were teetering on the edge of existence, those countless planets, he held them all in his hands. Or did he?

Such a heavy sigh fled from his chest. This was assuming that the Sith, Ishtar was being truthful. Again, he asked himself why he should even believe her in the first place. Was this all just some clever ploy?

Obi-wan shook his head in frustration. There was no one he felt he could turn to, to ask for advice. He was lucky that the Jedi Council was even allowing him his liberties knowing that he was wrestling with the darkside. Perhaps that is why they had allowed him to return to his birthplace and see his family. One would say, that it was a good plan on part of the Jedi Council, forcing him to take leave so they could discuss what would be done with him. But….

The Knight cast a brief acidic glance over his shoulder at the Jedi Master who had been ordered to come with him. Of all the souls in the Temple, they had to choose Qui-gon Jinn to keep an eye on him. Obi-wan felt that bitterness grow, feeling that Master Jinn had only started to care due to his condition. At least his former Master had been silent for the entire way.

"Anakin has been asking about you. He's been worried." Qui-gon's raspy voice seemed as firm as usual. So much for the peace and quite.

Obi-wan remained silent, hoping that Jinn would take a hint. But the Master Jedi did exactly the opposite. When the silence grew a bit too drawn out, Qui-gon asked another question, to which Obi-wan did not reply. The Master finally reached out and put a firm grip on the Knights shoulder forcing him to stop.

"Obi-wan, stop sulking and talk to me." Jinn spoke in frustration at Kenobi's silent treatment. Obi-wan looked over his shoulder with a glare as sharp as a dagger.

"Sulking? Is that what you think I am doing?" Obi-wan asked, trying to keep a courteous tone.

"What happened to you Obi-wan? It has been as if you are suspicious of Anakin since you returned from Naboo." Qui-gon tried to word it carefully. He knew that he was to blame for the rift that had grown between them, he had broken promises on more then one occasion. Ever since their intense spar in the training room, Qui-gon began to think of the mess he had made of his grown Padawan.

"Did it ever occur to you that Anakin might not be on our side?" Obi-wan snapped with a bitterness in his voice. He was tired of side-stepping the conversation. Tired of Jinn's engulfing blindness to what balance could mean.

"Our side? He's still just a child and has many things to learn. But I believe that Anakin will bring balance to the Force." Qui-gon still held strong to the dogma.

"Did you think about what kind of balance your Chosen One will bring? I'm not sure if you noticed but the Jedi purged the Sith long ago…" Obi-wan replied with a nasty revelation that made Jinn frown.

"It is not our place to question the will of the Force." Jinn replied sternly. Silence began to grow between the pair once again as they continued walking. This time it was Obi-wan who began to talk.

"And how do you know what the Force requires of us? When does personal judgment cloud that?" Obi-wan's voice softened as he once again shoved the negative emotions down.

"I feel you are conflicted. Tell me what is troubling you, Obi." The Jedi Master could easily see the divide between the heart and mind.

"You haven't called me that in a long time." A slightest hint of a smile edged it's way across the Knight's lips.

"Obi-wan, I admit my many errors in the way I handled things since the Blockade of Naboo. I misinterpreted actions and failed to understand my mistakes until recently. I cannot help you if you remain silent." There was a sincerity in Qui-gon's voice that weakened Obi-wan's tightly guarded mind.

The Jedi entered the tranquil town of which Obi-wan was born. A gentle wind rippled through the empty buildings, like faint memory of a place that lacked people. So heavily focused on mending their estranged relationship that they did not notice the odd stillness that engulfed the town.

"On Naboo, I was afraid. So afraid that I didn't think about the consequences of my selfish actions. And now, it has festered inside me. It's becoming harder to control. I know what I must do as a Jedi, but…I am lost." Obi-wan constructed his thoughts the best he could while still keeping the darkest of his concerns to himself. Being a Jedi had always meant following the will of the Force, to give yourself over to it. But now there was a conflicting divide between his duty as a Jedi and the sinister destiny that was being laid out before him.

"Obi-wan, listen to me. There is a powerful poison afflicting the natural flow of the Force inside you. Do not believe that this is some sort of punishment for the past. You must keep your eyes to the present, do not focus on the future. Allow yourself to be free from the troubling emotions, clear your mind and the will of the Force will become clear." While Qui-gon wished that Obi-wan would be a little more open to him, it was a promising start on the road to recovery.

"You make it sound so easy." Obi-wan replied with friendly cynicism. The pair stopped when they arrived at the town square, where they were to rendezvous with the Kenobi family.

"Hardly a simple task. But I have confidence in you." Qui-gon placed an understanding hand on Obi-wan's shoulder offering him a small smile and Obi-wan returned the warm smile. It had felt good to speak with his Master again. Flaws aside, he had forgotten how much he admired his wisdom and guidance. The smile quickly slid from the Knight's face as he realized the awkward tranquility that had accompanied them in the town square. Obi-wan surveyed the area with concern. Usually the town would be busy with people going about their daily routines, but there wasn't a soul in sight.

A tremor vibrated through the Force as the sounds of battle droids activating splintered the stillness. The Jedi drew their lightsabers as Trade Federation droids surrounded them in the town square. They were hopelessly outnumbered. Through the droids a several men appeared in Trade Federation uniforms, holding blasters at the ready.

"You walked right into that one. And here I thought that capturing you would be difficult. Aren't Jedi suppose to predict these kinds of things?" The Officer in charge, a Captain chuckled at the ease at which they cornered the legendary Jedi.

"Make things easy and surrender." The Captain requested smugly. But the Jedi stood firm, igniting their lightsabers for the battle to come.

"Tsk. Bring them out." The man grunted with disproval, making a gesture to several men that were stationed behind him. The cold stench of fear began to pour in, as a couple of hostages appeared and were roughly thrown to the ground by their captors.

Obi-wan closed his eyes briefly, rattled by the faces of their hostages. It was Obi-wan's family. The fear he saw in their eyes, the dirt and grime of violence burned into their faces. The Captain readied the blaster and placed it to the back of his mother's head.

"I'll say this one last time. Surrender your lightsabers." The man demanded again, this time with a coy smile. Kenobi's family looked on with pleading and terrified eyes for the Jedi to comply.

"We will do as you ask." Qui-gon quickly assessing the situation, disengaged his lightsaber and Obi-wan hesitantly followed suit. One of the soldiers rushed forward collecting their weapons, while the others roughly apprehended the Jedi, shackling their wrist with heavy manacles.

The lightsabers were presented to the Trade Federation Officer and with a sinister curiosity, he picked up Obi-wans lightsaber and inspected the weapon.

"You lied to me, Mr. Kenobi. You said your son wasn't coming home." The man ignited the lightsaber, waving the weapon around as he confronted Obi-wan's father.

"And I HATE it when people lie to me." He snarled, thrusting the blade through the elder Kenobi's chest. The muffled screams of his mother and his brother sicken Obi-wan as he stood there powerlessly. Obi-wan's father slumped forward and the Captain shoved the dying man forward with his boot. Power driven, the Officer swung wildly, severing his father's head like a hot knife through butter. His father, a man he barely knew, murdered before the Jedi's eyes.

At first it felt as if his heart had stopped beating, and then the gross and heavy flesh began to thump with a wild frenzy. The officer moved on to Owen, Obi-wan's brother. The Knight's fingers began to tremble, his hands shake, his teeth grinding together and the flood gates began to open. The Knight gasped for air, drawing in what felt like mud into his lungs.

His fingers tightened, balling his hands into fist, his eyes burning with anger as he lashed out with the Force just as the Captain was about to strike down this brother. The Officer's laughter had stopped, his hands dropping the weapon and clutching his throat. That infinite look of horror as Obi-wan began to strangle the life from him, force gripping the man's airway so tightly it was on the brink of being crushed.

Qui-gon could feel the darkness channeling through his former padawan's body, like a whirlwind of savage fury. Time seem to stop as the man collapsed to the ground, twisting in pain. Hot tears streamed down the Knights face and through his blood. He knew what he was doing was wrong, horribly wrong, but…this man deserved it. An ominous grin curled on the once sympathetic lips of the Knight.

"NO! Obi-wan! Not in ANGER!" Qui-gon's voice broke through the wall of rage that had deafened Obi-wan's ears. It was wrong. No matter how much he wanted to strangled the life from the Captain, he could not. Slowly, the Knight began to release his hold, concentrating to undo the hatred and rage that was making his fist clench. The more he began to fight the darkside, the more Obi-wan's body began to burn in return.

A cry of anguish tore from Obi-wan's throat as he freed the Captain from certain death. It was now the Knight who sank to his knees, clutching his side in agony. He could feel the bulging veins twisting under his skin, threatening to burst as he reigned in the darkness, caging the beast once again.

Qui-gon looked on, his face flooded with concern as he knelt beside Obi-wan, reaching out with the Force to try to share in his suffering. The agony and torment that he felt was like a spike through the older Jedi's heart, stealing away his breath. Unable to control the pain, Obi-wan collapsed into the dirt of his homeworld.

Shadow was threatening to over take Qui-gon's vision as he hovered over his former padawan, as if trying to shield him from what was to come. But the Master Jedi crumpled over into unconsciousness, for the first time fearing what the future was to hold.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Let me know your thoughts on this latest chapter. How would you guys like to see this turn out? I'm curious.


	16. Sixteen :: The Suffering

**Summary::** AU-About 2 years after PTM. Obi-wan is having to deal without his Master, who is still alive, and training Anakin. Now Obi-wan is caught up in the repercussions of his actions when he saved his Master during that fateful day on Naboo.

**Disclaimer::** I don't own StarWars, I'm not getting money off of this.

**Special Thanks to::** Again, Thanks for waiting! Thanks for the reviews and the alerts! I said I would keep going with it, even if I am a little slow. Got the plot back in my head. Sorry if it feels a little choppy, I rewrote it like 5 times is probably in need of a good proof read. =) Happy Holidays!

" text " = normal/verbal talking  
italics = flashbacks/memory/dream/vision  
'text' = talking through a bond/force communication.

* * *

**Dead Ringer**

_"Let me apologize to begin with  
__Let me apologize for what I'm about to say  
__But trying to be genuine was harder than it seemed  
__And somehow I got caught up in between" - In Between - Linkin Park_

_Chapter Sixteen :: The Suffering_

Qui-gon awoke to the cool crisp air stealing the moisture from his face. The older Jedi found himself within a cage, only big enough to kneel in. Around the bars were a pale translucent blue, clearly a shock field, but something about them seemed ancient. With only the energy field to illuminate the area around him, he could see two other cages on either side of him, all disturbingly empty.

Jinn repositioned himself to his knees, his body ached as he recalled how became a captive. His brow wrinkled with concern as he remembered Obi-wan lashing out in anger at the man who had murdered his father. The pain still recoiled through his heart when he tried to ease Obi-wan's suffering. The physical and emotional pain proved to be too much for the Jedi Master and he had collapsed next to his padawan. They must of been transported while they were unconscious, but to where? And where was Obi-wan now?

Qui-gon gently pushed out with the force, trying to sense Obi-wan's force signature. The moment he began to feel a familiar presence, the cage delivered a nasty shock to the Master Jedi. As Qui-gon doubled over in pain, a melodious but soft laughter echoed through the darkness.

"I wouldn't do that. These cages will contain the Force powers of a Jedi and reflect them back twofold. And the bars house an automatic stun system. Quite ingenious." A woman's voice informed the Master Jedi.

"Who are you?" Qui-gon asked the disembodied voice as he recovered from the jolt.

Footsteps grew nearer to the cage and soon Ishtar stepped into the light, casting her usual white robes in a light blue hue. Her arms were crossed in front of her as she grasped her elbows in a very feminine fashion.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Master Jinn. I am Ishtar Montari." She bowed ever so slightly.

"What have you done with Obi-wan? Where is he?" Jinn asked with a firm and concerned tone.

"He's right here." The Sith woman waved her hand, turning on the lights in the room. Cages lined one side of the room, while the other side of the chamber held an array of devices and vials. Clearly this was some sort of interrogation chamber.

And in the middle of the area, Obi-wan was strapped to a table, less then 10 feet away from Qui-gon. The Knight had been stripped of his robes and boots, leaving him the dignity of his trousers, which were already stained with spots of blood. Horrified, the Masters ice blue eyes focused on the black veins that had grown like a twisted mess of vines under Obi-wan's skin.

"What is that? What have you done to him?" Qui-gon demanded.

"This is his doing. What you see is Sith Poison massing in his veins. He is doing best to contain it, but…" Ishtar walked towards Obi-wan who was moaning feverishly on the cold table.

"It burns like acid through his veins as it grows, forcing it's way through his body. He needs only to accept it and he will be free of the pain it causes. Stubborn, foolish boy." She gently traced his brow, almost as if she cared for the state that the Knight was in.

Qui-gon pulled his lips into a tight frown. He had no idea that this was what Obi-wan was dealing with; alone. Why hadn't he been told of this situation, could it be that Obi-wan had kept it hidden, even from the Healers? No, something like this couldn't of been kept hidden.

"I didn't want you to know…I didn't want anybody to know." A weakened voice came from the Knight as if he was able to read Qui-gon's trouble thoughts.

"Good, now that you're both awake. That means we can continue with our exercises." Ishtar interrupted them, tapping a button on her communicator. Obi-wan began to shake his head in dread, unsure even how long he had been laying on the table.

"Oh stop being so negative, Obi-boy." Ishtar chuckled tauntingly.

Ishtar looked at Qui-gon, who looked poised to pounce inside the cage as two men in grey uniforms entered the room. She offered him a soft smile which transformed into something sinisterly dark. One of the men retrieved a syringe from the metal shelf that was bolted to the wall, while the other cuffed Obi-wan's head in a lock. Obi-wan began to fight the restraints in his weakened state. The man with the needle approached Obi-wan, who looked at Ishtar with a concerned look on his face.

"Be still now or you'll lose an eye." She snapped and the Sith placed her hand on Obi-wan's chest, giving him a powerful Force suggestion. The Jedi stopped moving, his eyes involuntary opened wide. Qui-gon looked on in terror as they injected the liquid directly into his corners of his eyes.

"What are you doing? What is that?" The Master Jedi demanded in a fierce tone.

"Aoi's special cocktail of Spices. Yarrock, Neutron Pixie, Red Rage to name a few." Ishtar dismissed the men, who left in a hurry. It didn't take long for the drugs to kick in, as they had been directly absorbed into the Jedi's system. Obi-wan began to pant, sweat gathered on his skin, as he started to thrash around violently on the table. Plagued by hallucinations, visions, and ecstasy all at once.

Objects in the room began to dance wildly, shaking with tremendous force. Tormented cries from Obi-wan echoed in the room and Ishtar returned to his side.

"Shhh…Easy Jedi. Focus…" Ishtar placed her hands on either side of his head. The room began to quiet down after a moment, but Obi-wan's body was still racked with tremors.

"Tell me Jedi, tell me of the future that never came…" She questioned.

"No…I will not." Obi-wan stubbornly replied, foam seeping from the corners of his mouth.

"OBEY ME!" Ishtar screeched, sending a shock of Force lightening through the Knights body.

"Now, tell me." She paused, her voice returning to a creamy voice she was using earlier. "No. Tell US of the future you so boldly set out to change." A pair of malice golden eyes looked to Qui-gon to make sure he was paying attention.

"You don't need to -"

"The council was right. Anakin was dangerous….was dangerous." Obi-wan cut his Master retaliation short, as if he was forced to answer by the spices.

"Why was he dangerous?" Ishtar coxed him with a velvety desire.

"Fall victim to the darkside, a Sith…purging the Jedi from existence." The words left Obi-wan reluctantly between grunts and breaths.

"Why are you making him do this? What is the point of this?" Qui-gon roared to life, letting the anger get the better of him. Ishtar quirked a slender eyebrow and released Obi-wan from her clutches.

"You need to hear the truth. It is vital that you understand. And if not now, then when the time comes." She approached the cage briefly before she turned to leave.

"You may ask him anything you wish. Truthfulness is a side effect of one of the spices. But make it quick!" And with that the Sith switched the lights off and disappeared through the hatch, locking it behind her.

The look of confusion crossed over Qui-gon's face, before he set his attention back to Obi-wan, barely able to make out his form in the darkness.

"Listen to me Obi, the future is difficult to see-"

"You never listen…Anakin was to fall to the darkside. Arrogant, brash…destined by emotional ties. Too old." Obi-wan rambled on with character flaws and incomplete sentences.

"Obi-wan, you cannot be certain of that."

"But I am! So entangled in the plot you cannot see…so entangled.." The Knight let out a delirious laughter, straining to pick his head up to look at the Jedi Master in the dim blue light of the cage.

"But that's not your fault, Master." The title dripped with sarcasm. "The Sith on Naboo was going to kill you…that is why I, I did what I did. To save you, to save the Jedi." Obi-wan confessed, laying his head back down on the cold hard table before breaking into tormented laughter.

"By the FORCE! It HURTS!" The Knight howled as he struggled with the restraints in the dark, trying to roll to his side.

It was the last coherent thing Qui-gon had heard him say and for the next three hours the Jedi Master listened helplessly to his former padawans maddening ride on the powerful narcotics that Ishtar had given him.

For those three hours, the Jedi Master mulled over the brief conversation that they had. Had it been the drugs talking? The poison? Yes that had to of been what was going on. It couldn't be that Obi-wan actually believed in what he was saying.

"Obi-wan?" Qui-gon called out once the silence had grown. He tried reaching out with the force once again, only to be shocked once again. In the darkness he felt the cold fear run down the back of his neck when there was no reply and then felt the warmth of relief when he heard the Knights labored breathing.

The Master Jedi let out a sigh of relief as he believed the Knight to be sleeping and focused on putting himself in a deep meditation to try to find a way out of their unfortunate predicament.

But Obi-wan was not asleep. In the dark room, on the cold table his eyes were open, searching the darkness for something. He wasn't sure what exactly it was, but there was a numbness to his mind as he was unable to hold a single thought for long. The darkness gave way to shifting colors, feeling himself floating in the deep reaches of space. Pin points of light drifted in the distance like fireflies on a summer breeze.

Obi-wan stood within the endless void, then wondrous fireflies growing closer with each inhale. Their warmth caressing the Knight, easing his trouble with their tender tickles. More upon more of these little balls of light appeared, all floating around the tormented Jedi.

They were the force, at least, they were the way the force saw itself. They shimmered with a tranquil peace that he had never known, but had suddenly come to understand. Their dance calming and serene. He could hear their whispers, but of what they said, he didn't know. He closed his eyes, basking in the glow of harmony and drifted further into the nothingness, where the light dared not to follow.

* * *

When the Knight came to he found himself hanging by his wrists, knees dragging the ground. By the way that his joints hurt, he could only guess he had been hanging for awhile. Ever so slowly those cerulean blues eyes looked around at his new surroundings.

Another dimly lit room, Obi-wan could barely keep his enthusiasm in check as he struggled to his feet. His muscles ached, a dry cough caught in his throat, persistently accompanying any deep breath he tried to have. Standing on his feet gave his shoulders time to relax, letting his bound wrist dangle in front of him lazily.

The cold floor bit bitterly into his bare feet, but he barely noticed as he looked down to the black entanglement of veins making a mess of torso and chest.

Before he had woken up, he had nearly come to the conclusion that he had died, but things were never so easy. He would never be so lucky. The memory of floating in space seemed like a fleeing dream, the phantom wind of warmth caused his skin to bristle with goosebumps across his bare chest.

And the nightmare came back to haunt him, a nightmare in angelic white robes and silky colorless hair. Ishtar approached him from the dark edges of the circular room like some ghost from a different era.

"Have you come to a decision?" She asked coldly and straight to the point. Obi-wan set his jaw, tight lipped and squared his shoulders. He was silent, taken back by the simplicity of the question.

"You come to me in beautiful and destructive visions, haunt my waking thoughts. Why should I believe the things you have shown me? Do you think me weak and easily led?" Obi-wan asked, holding himself as proudly as he was capable. He had endured worse before, although the spice had been a blessing and a curse. He could feel the after effects of it now, the headache was dull and growing, not to mention a hung over disorientation plaguing his scenes.

"No, I think you are none of those, my dear Jedi. I just wanted to see how far you wanted this nightmare to continue." Ishtar frowned before shoving her palm into his abdomen and releasing an ark of lightning through his system. Obi-wan cried out, his body already exhausted fell. The pull of the chains, the pain on his wrist and shoulders as hung by them, his knees once again dragging the floor.

"On your feet!" She ordered, looking down on him with emotionless eyes.

"You're insane!" Obi-wan spat, flat out refusing to budge. He had seen two different sides to her, that angelic vision, a compassionate voice. The other this hellish nightmare.

"Tsk." The Sith mouth curled into a frown, folding her arms over her chest disappointingly. "It must of been horrible, seeing your father murdered, right before your eyes." A sweet voice so subtle with its temptation. The Sith woman had perfected that craft quickly, being so young when she was taken into her Masters service.

"I saw my mother and father murdered. Mind you, I did the murdering." She sighed, remembering that far off memory but she lacked the reminiscence value. "They sold me off, bad luck to have a child with gold eyes. Silly little thing really." It was a hallow smile as she spoke. "But from seeing how they are dead now, I guess they were right." Her outward reflection was cut short when the door slid open. From the hatch, a man was dragging in a screaming woman, her long hair balled into his fist, feet kicking as she was manhandled.

His heart sunk knowing it was his mother, his lips formed into a tight frown and he swallowed hard. Her wrist were bound much in the same way his were, but only they lacked the tether to the ceiling. "I didn't need to foresee your refusal, you are still a good Jedi. A great Jedi had you left things their course. I still plan to make you great, or kill you trying." Ishtar smiled gently turning to the man who had brought in Obi-wan's mother. "I trust I can leave the rest to you?" She addressed the man standing there. Obi-wan finally took the time to look at the soldiers face, and the Jedi rose to his feet quickly when he realized it was the same man that had murdered his father.

"Yes, Ma'm!" The Captain saluted, and it was only then did the Jedi realize the man was carrying a baton. Ishtar only smiled at her eager pawn ready to please, leaving the room with little more then a look back at the Knight a flicker of sadness in her golden eyes.

With Ishtar gone, Obi-wan glared at the Officer who was giving him that same cocky smile he did before. The Jedi could feel his blood beginning to boil as the man laughed, approaching the standing Knight.

"We get to play a little game." The Captain drew back his baton, cracking it across the side of Obi-wan's skull without warning. The Jedi fell once again to the mercy of his bound wrist, eyes wide as his vision warped and his hearing waved in his ears. The officer withdrew as the Jedi hung, turning his attention to the Jedi's mother.

"As long as you're on your feet, I can only hit you. But hang there like that..." The man smiled, bringing his baton across the woman's back. She screamed out in brutal pain. Obi-wan was struggling to his feet, trying to call for the aid of the force, only to find it terrifyingly silent. No sooner had the Jedi gotten to his feet, then he felt the thick wood of the baton lay across his hip. Wavering he didn't fall, wishing he could strangle the man, before another hit cracked into his side.

"What's the matter boy? Can't use that Force of your's, can you? She said you wouldn't be able to fight back. So I get to play this little game, until someone dies." The Captain emphasized the last word with enthusiasm. "That's what she order me to do. Beat you both until someone dies." He gloated and was psychotically happy at the whole mess. If the Jedi couldn't rely on the Force to help him, then he would have to do it himself.

Obi-wan launched a kick at the man, who promptly cracked the Jedi's attacking leg down, unforuntaly across the kneecap. But that didn't stop the Jedi from trying to lung forward, only to have himself left wide open as the chains jerked his arms back. There was a short struggle while the man beat Obi-Wan into a bloody pulp, leaving the Jedi to hang there. The poor Jedi sucked air into his lungs with a heavy wheeze, dazed as a good blow to his head knocked him out if only for a moment.

From the darkness of a cell, Qui-gon watched from a large window that had given him a front row seat to the entire thing so far. He was unable to hear any conversation, although he could see their mouths moving. He had come to the conclusion that the shielding was probably sound proof and privacy glass seeing as Obi-wan hadn't noticed him there yet. Conveniently there was a Force suppression collar clamped around the Jedi Masters. Appalled at the horrifying treatment.

The hatch unlocked behind the Jedi Master and Ishtar stepped into his cell, the hatch closing behind her. Qui-gon never took his eyes off Obi-wan, the knight fighting back, only to be beaten down. "Do you think he'll get up?" Ishtar asked, admiring her handiwork. The Master watched them suffering in the other room, feeling his heart wrenching, mind shocked at the brutality of their captors.

"Always. He'll always get up." Qui-gon replied.

* * *

**Author's Note: **okay guys. You know me. I like those comments. Also reminds me to work on it when I get that lovely little email.


	17. Seventeen : The Scream of Madness

**Summary::** AU-About 2 years after PTM. Obi-wan is having to deal without his Master, who is still alive, and training Anakin. Now Obi-wan is caught up in the repercussions of his actions when he saved his Master during that fateful day on Naboo.

**Disclaimer::** I don't own StarWars, I'm not getting money off of this.

**Special Thanks to::** Starhunter79 - Thank you for the generous review! I shall take your advice on the dream/vision separate from flashbacks. Also thank you to everyone else that has been patiently awaiting this new chapter. This story is far from dead and is starting to draw to a close.

" text " = normal/verbal talking  
italics = flashbacks  
'text' = talking through a bond/force communication.

Visions not be formatted differently. They will blend to provide a better flow to the plot, fair warning because the chapter after this will be using many of them.

* * *

**Dead Ringer**

_"What was it that I truly lost that day?  
I forgot a long time ago  
In the twilight, the two of us started to become unnoticeable, little by little  
Nevertheless, we wouldn't return home" - It Was a Transparent World - Motohiro Hata_

**Chapter Seventeen : The Scream of Madness **

"WHY!?" Qui-gon Jinn roared. "Why are you doing this to him?!" He turned from his seat, for the first time looking away from the brutal scene in the next room. His fist were clinched, white knuckles cracking under his anger. Cursing the force suppression collar around his neck, weighing the possibilities of overcoming her with brute force alone. But she was much tougher then she appeared and Qui-gon by no means had the upper hand in this situation.

There was a smirk that flashed across the Sith's lips and then came an answer. "The truth? Or a pleasant fiction?" Her silky voice was still so calm as she regarded the force disabled Jedi Master, who now was just a simple man...an honest man.

"I want the truth!" He was tired of this needless suffering of his padawan, tired of these riddles and games this Sith Woman was enjoying.

"No, I don't find joy in any of these things." That was a somber tone from the usually calm woman clad in white robes. The Jedi straightened up, finding it unsettling that she would reply to a thought.

"Forgive me, did you not say that out loud? I apologize." She gave a curt bow, her colorless hair cascading over her shoulder.

"I CARE NOT FOR YOUR APOLOGY!" He burst into defeated anger, dropping to his knees as a helpless spectator. "Just, tell me why...why are you doing this to my padawan? Why are you so bent on this...suffering?" His voice showed the aging years of his life.

"Suffering is what defines us. It is what drives us forward to create a better tomorrow." She walked forward to the kneeling prisoner. "That is what you Jedi do not understand in your fake white mountain on your unnatural dead world." Her fingers laced through the long grey strands of Qui-gon's hair, slowly peeling back his head through a firm grip. "So far removed from life you can not hear it." Her pale face was so close to him, and her words were like a warm honey that dripped into his ear. "It rages with sorrow...can you not hear it?"

The Jedi Master found himself with his face voluntary kept upward, almost memorized by her charismatic charm. Old blue eyes fell into those ancient golden pools that seemed too divine not to be sincere. Qui-gon found himself at a lost for words as he clung to hers in an odd intoxicating fashion.

"Hear what?" His whisper left him vulnerable.

"It's screaming." She closed her metallic eyes, pressing her forehead to Qui-gon's. In a mental explosion of color and of pain, the Master's ears quickly filled with a violent shriek. If fingernails being peeled back had a sound; it resonated the entirety of his mind. His face twisted in agony at the violation, hands reaching to cuff his ears from the madness that was bleeding in.

"In my slumber, I have dreamt about the perfect tomorrow," what a sweet whisper in the violence of the scream. Ishtar smiled dark and wide. "Soon you all will." Foreboding in tone the Sith released Qui-gon from her clutches. The Master reeled away, disturbed by the echo that still violated his mind.

"You still haven't told me, why? Why him? Why Obi-wan?" Qui-gon was persistent in his quest as the Sith sat down on the bench that stretched the length of the cell.

"Because it is a destiny out of necessity. He struggles with it, he will continue to struggle. Long after the choice has been made, it will always be in the fore front of his mind. Why Obi-wan, you ask? Because he is," she paused only a moment to find the right word, "Magnificent."

The scream still haunted the far edges of his mind, but it sounded as if Ishtar was proud of Obi-wan.

"He'll never do it. He will never join the Sith." Qui-gon argued with her. It was becoming clear to him that Ishtar was bent on manipulating Obi-wan into a twisted sense of fate, a consequence of a choice he had made. "He won't fall for your lies." Stubbornly the aging Jedi stood on shaky legs.

"I'm counting on it." The voluptuous edges of her lips curved upward as if she knew something that no one else did. She switched the position of her legs, crossing one over the other, casting a sideways glance at the Jedi Master from under thick eye lashes. "Now watch...the real Trials are about to start." Ishtar gestured to the interrogation cell, turning her attention to the tragic lesson about to be learned in the other room. Qui-gon returned his eyes to Obi-wan dangling exhausted, body broken and bloodied. His torturer was no where to be seen. Obi-wan's biological mother looked to be sobbing on the floor, bleeding from the gashes in her flesh. The Captain had gone to refresh himself and take a break from beating that stubborn little runt Kenobi was turning out to be. Even with the baton, every time he struck the Jedi it was like hitting concrete.

While the Captain was off nursing his sore hands, that left the poor Jedi time to hang, his knees heavy on the floor, shoulders screaming but he was resting, knowing the brute would be back. After all, they were both still alive.

Obi-wan tipped his head backwards, blue eyes opening as he stared past the ceiling to a far off place in his mind. The phantom chime of the warm wind, the fresh smell of the spring breeze, the majestic foliage on the white ruins. He closed his eyes, trying to retreat to that sanctuary, desperately trying to relieve the pain that bitterly coursed through his body. Just through the black void of his eyelids he could start to make out the white mist that shrouded the vision, small points of light pulsating through the veil like fireflies in twilight.

But the sound of the door sliding open forced his eyes agape, knowing the bastard had returned and the torturous game would continue. Obi-wan struggled past his stiff and screaming muscles to plant his bare feet on the cold floor once more. The baton was quick to strike him over and over again. The Captain taking advantage of the already injured limbs until the Jedi finally was knocked from his feet.

The man turned to the woman, who laid broken on the floor, eyes so swollen she could no longer see. "I don't think she can take much more Sonny." The Captain laughed, twirling his baton as the Jedi tried to struggle back to his feet.

"Get away from her." Obi-wan growled through his pain, his legs shaking uncontrollably as they tried to support his weight, his hands wrapping around the chain pulling himself from the floor. But his strength finally gave out and he went crashing back down, nearly pulling his shoulders out of their sockets.

"Looks like your down for good, but I'll take it nice and slow to give you the opportunity to find your feet." The Captain grinned a widen grin, taking aim at the woman's ankle and he shattered it with a single merciless blow. Obi-wan's protest continued as he threaten and barked at the man. His mother screamed in agony, protectively trying to curl herself into a ball. The man raised his baton once again.

"I'm warning you...STOP it!"

"What are you going to do about it?" Out of cocky amusement the man turned to gloat at the Jedi captive. The arrogant look slid from his face when he found the Jedi steadily standing on both feet. The black mess of veins twisted and grew up the Jedi's side and shoulder, his blue eyes pierced through shadow that shrouded his sight. And that cerulean gaze was dead set on the man that had been brutally assaulting them. There was terror in the Captain's face, finding himself unable to move or to even look away from that murderous gaze.

"What...How?" The man stuttered in horror.

"I guess the suppressant finally wore off." The cold tone froze the air as Obi-wan replied. The Force was starting to wash over him, like waves on the frozen tide. And the Jedi was not about to show mercy to this brute that had so happily cause pain to others. Using all the power of the Force that he could grasp, he force pushed the man to the wall, his body hitting the metal wall with a fleshy thud.

The empowered Jedi made no hint of stopping as the man began to scream, convulsing violently as he was being crushed to death against the wall with the aid of the Force. The black veins snaked their way up past Obi-wan's shoulder, claiming territory on his neck as the Force had almost completely returned to him.

Except for the scowl that seem beaten into Obi-wan's facial features, the Jedi seemed rather calm as he dealt the excruciating pain to the man that had terrorized and tortured them for the past few hours. Cries for mercy went ignored and eventually drowned out by Obi-wan's own raging howl in one final surge of force. The pressure of the Force compounding until the mans body could no longer endure the crushing duress. Bones crunched and blood burst from all available exits, painting the scarlet liquid in a wicked splat against the grey metal wall. The lifeless and crushed body of the Captain fell from his place on the wall onto the floor. Obi-wan threw his head backwards in madness, his cry of raw emotion fading from the rounded corners of the room. He collapsed from exhaustion, falling violently to his knees, dangling from his abused and chained wrists. The black shadows that had encased his eyes dispersed in the form of dark mist, but the poison growth in his veins remained.

Weary from his ordeal, the thought of his mother kept him awake. Timidly he cast out the force, searching for the spark that could only belong to his mother. It was there, her warm signature...but the light was quickly starting to dim. His panic set anew and the tears began to gather in his thick lashes. The room was settling into silence.

"No...no...Mother? Please, Mother?" Obi-wan called to his mother to which she did not reply. Her sobs had stopped, along with the breath that had cried them. "GUARDS! HELP!" His voice cracked, yelling for help that would never come. His eyes overflowed with the sorrow, but the anger fueled his determination.

And he tried. He tried to use the force to help aid him in reviving the flickering life, but every attempt he made was denied. Helplessly made to watch as his mother's life ceased to be. With wails of emotion he could no longer keep in check he sobbed uncontrollably until he was granted the mercy of uncomfortable sleep.

Ishtar and Qui-gon looked on in complete silence from the holding cell, both keeping watch with abated breath. The scene had been brutal, the action left a grotesque trail of blood oozing down the wall. The Jedi Master unable to look away from the suffering, found his rare tears falling in silence. His knuckles white as he strangled the life from the bottom of his robes, trying to grasp what he had just witnessed.

"Why would you do something like this?" Qui-gon's voice broke the silence with disbelief that such cruelty existed.

"So you could understand his suffering."

The Jedi turned an angry glare at the Sith only to find her completely absent from the cell. Not allowing her disappearance to bother him, he returned his gaze to Obi-wan who had passed out. Out of anger Qui-gon began to beat on the privacy glass, but to no avail. His stoic personality stretched beyond it's limit, he screamed and shouted. Throwing a fit of frustration at his helplessness. Slowly he sunk to the floor, sliding against the glass, his ice blue eyes melting in defeat.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry, I'm sorry." The aging Jedi repeating his heartbroken apology to the Knight that dangled in the room, cursing the glass between them.

The hours had turned into days, days into weeks...after that Qui-gon had lost track. Not that it had been easy to keep track of the time in this windowless prison cell. The privacy glass had darkened and the Master had no idea if the Knight was still dangling just on the other side of the wall. He had not seen Obi-wan since his mother had been beaten to death.

Suddenly the lights flickered and went out, leaving the Master in the darkened room before everything was bathed in a red glow. A Red Alert was blaring over the outter speakers in the hall way…and sounds of explosions rocked the level. With the power gone the privacy glass was now completely transparent, exposing the empty interrogation room.

Another explosion ripped down the hall closer this time. The Jedi stood watching the door with great interest about the events happening outside. And then his wait was over, the hatch slid open and Knight Luca Cammali entered the cell.

"Master Qui-gon, are you able to run? We haven't much time to meet Kenobi at the extraction point."

"Obi-wan? Where is he? Is he alright?" Qui-gon asked immediately.

"Yes, he's acting as a decoy, while we get to the hanger bay near by." Cammali replied acting quickly to remove the Force suppression collar from the Jedi Master's neck. "Can you run?" Cammali asked again, handing the extra light saber that was hanging on his belt to Qui-gon.

"Yes. Let's go." Qui-gon's voice sounded a little more steady then it first had. As he follow Cammali through the hallways, his thought kept traveling to his former Padawan. Another explosion shook the level and the pair hurried along the rounded corridors.

"Where are we and how long have we been gone?" Qui-gon wanted to get a grip on the situation, Obi-wan had been brutally injured during the bought of tortcure, but now was acting as a decoy to aid in the escape?

"You've been missing for nearly 6 months. It was only a stroke of luck someone picked up Kenobi's signal. Kamino isn't even in the Archives." Luca seemed like his talkative self even though all his attention was focused on following the plan.

As much as the Master wanted to be in shock at the amount of time that had passed, this was not the time. But still, what had happened to Obi-wan in that time…

A few more turns and they found themselves in the lower hanger bay. An explosion blew through the observation deck and Qui-gon saw Obi-wan for the first time in 6 months. The Knight was in the midst of a light combat with three identical masked soldiers. Blades crashed and sparked in midair in a beautiful display of skill. Obi-wan was spiraling downward head first toward the floor below. With another twist he was able to bring his feet under him, landing divinely in a crouched position, one of his opponents dead before he hit the ground.

"Get to the ship, I'll lower the shields! I'll meet you at the Beta Point!" Kenobi was able to briefly bark out the rest of the plan to Cammali and Jinn. And the pair boarded the selected getaway ship as they were told. While Luca was busy paying attention to piloting, Qui-gon took time to soak in Obi-wan's appearance. His Jedi robes had been replaced with what appeared to be a dirty training robe. Under the ragged tan colored short sleeved robe was a black shirt that hugged every muscular curve of his chest. Despite the obvious change in clothing, the Master could make out the black and tangled mess of veins that peeked out between the gloves and the sleeves. More shocking was the twisted and gnarled veins that had invaded the side of his face, reaching over the bridge of his nose like a crack in the flesh.

"Don't worry, He's going to be fine." Luca spoke trying to reassure the look of concern that was wrinkling Jinn's face. But it did nothing to calm it as he watched the familiar boy he once taught, now grown and doing what he did best. Rescue in the face of impossible odds.

The saber combat was relentless and only after force pushing his two remaining assailants was he able to focus on finding a tank of compressed fuel. With the aid of the force he lifted it quickly and flung it into the control panel where it exploded and lowered the field into the hanger bay. With little hesitation Luca piloted the ship out of bay into the stormy world outside, leaving Obi-wan in the midst of combat.

With another powerful Force Push he put space between him and his opponents, he dashed down the hallways rushing to make the Beta Point on time. Although he was fighting using every bit of skill he had developed over his life time, the flow of his movements were fluid with in his escape from his pursuers.

It wasn't long until he had reached Beta Point, his run slowed to a quick trot before stopping completely. Standing in his way was Ishtar Montari. Without hesitation he walked forward, stepping from the cover of the hallway and out onto the platform. The rain sizzled against their lightsabers, wet robes clung to their limbs, the wind howling with the roar of the waves far below them. He approached her with caution, six months was a long time to be in the clutches of this sinister woman. And he knew she was dangerous.

"So you choose to return then?" Ishtar strained her voice to be heard over the storm winds.

"Yes. I must know…for myself." Obi-wan replied, he looked tired, his mouth slightly agape in heavy breath, his lungs where burning for oxygen. He had fought hard for their escape.

"And when you come to realize what I say is true? What then?" The red hydra feathers whipped around violently in the gusts, she turned a silver eye, catching the approach of the small transport. The time for her Knight to depart was drawing near.

"I don't know…Even if it is true…..I can't abandon the Jedi." Obi-wan watched the transport draw nearer, biding his time until the transport was in range, not wishing to engage her in a light saber battle. Just a moment longer, he could tell she was getting ready to spring on him at any moment.

"I don't expect you to." She replied before lunging forward with her white sabers. Instead of engaging, Obi-wan made a dash for the edge of the platform before launching himself from the edge with reckless abandonment.

If it hadn't been for the glow of the sabers Obi-wan was using, Luca might not of been able to track the fellow Jedi's movement during his free fall from the spire. With restrained panic guiding him, Knight Cammali took the ship into a nose dive, pushing the thrusters to catch up to Kenobi. With the side hatch open and a gentle roll of the transport Luca scooped Obi-wan up. The hatch slid close and Cammali was barely able to pull the ship out of it's nose dive, slapping it's belly against a massive wave in the peek of it's break. The ship jostled hard but Luca was still able to keep control of it, his youthful cry of victory was the only cheer as they cleared the planet to an waiting cruiser to whisk them away home. But the sober mood between the former Master Padawan team killed any celebration the trio was to have at their escape.

Obi-wan had taken a knee in the back of the transport, his head bowed, eyes squeezed shut under heavy brows. The dirt and grime clung to his skin, the fading bruises discoloring exposed flesh. His arms dangled by his side in this odd meditation position that he had adopted, and in his hands he still tightly clung to the lightsabers. The tightly drawn out and downward pull of the edges of Obi-wan's lips was enough to tell Qui-gon that the Knight was suffering. In a show of concern and compassion, Qui-gon placed his hand upon his former padawan's head.

And that mental explosion of color and sound screamed like hellfire through their contact. Jinn pulled his hand away in shock and terror. It was the same maddening scream that the Sith woman had briefly subjected him too. Unable to hide his disbelief and overcome by his weaken state, Qui-gon stumbled backwards into the seat, his usually stoic eyes inflicted with the tears that threatened to overrun their banks once again.

But Obi-wan, focused deep within his meditation, would not be the wiser to his former Master's empathetic concerns. He wrapped himself in healing meditation to achieve relief from the violent scream that violated his mind, a scream that knew no end and a madness that unraveled the edges of his mind.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry for any typos, I rewrote this over and over due to a writers block. The words just wouldn't work for me. I had been hoping to have it out before 2013 started, but just think of it as a late V-day gift. =) What is going to happen next? Tune in to the next update, which I hope will be soon.


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